


Chasing The Storm

by kiyala



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Magic, Childhood Friends, Dragon Iwaizumi Hajime, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-08-14 16:57:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 45,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8021800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: The first time they meet, they're both four years old, Oikawa is a human and Iwaizumi is a dragon. Growing up together, they learn that life doesn't always go as planned, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thank you to [my lovely beta](http://quoth-the-ravenclaw.tumblr.com/) for being so patient with me and for making this fic much better than it would have otherwise been.

Tooru is four years old when he realises that the nearby forest is brimming with magic. One day, it looks and feels entirely ordinary and the next, it feels as if something about the world has shifted. He looks over at the trees, standing on the doorstep of his house, and the wind blows through the trees the exact same way that it always has, the leaves rustling, but there's something more to it. He feels it in the prickle of his skin, the sudden urge to explore. 

"Tooru," his mother calls from inside, and he turns his head towards her voice but his eyes remain on the trees, on what lies beyond them. 

He knows that it's magic. Even though he's never used it before, he knows what it feels like, from all the stories he's heard from his brother Taishi, who is away studying magic at university, and all the times he's sat and watched Taishi or his mother cast spells around the house. 

"Tooru, shut the door behind you," his mother says, and he blinks, looking away from the forest. 

He picks up the bag that he was carrying inside for her and shuts the door. His mother is standing at the dining table, sorting out the rest of her shopping bags, and she smiles at him as he holds the last one up for her to take. 

"Can we go for a picnic?" he asks her. "In the forest?"

With a soft laugh, his mother puts down her bags so she can look at him. "Why do you suddenly want to go into the forest, Tooru?"

Deciding not to mention the magic that he can feel from it, he shakes his head. "I just feel like it."

"Tooru," she says, bending down and pinching his cheek gently. "Do you know what happens to boys who get lost because they just felt like wandering the forest?"

Gulping, Tooru nods. It's a story his mother has told him several times, of young children who become forest spirits because they wander so far into the trees that nobody sees them ever again. 

"We'll have a picnic if you'd like," she tells him. "Maybe this weekend, so Tousan can join us too. Only if you promise me that you won't wander out of sight, though. It's your first time in the forest. If you don't behave, you won't be allowed there again."

Tooru nods. "I'll behave. I promise." 

"Good," she replies, patting him on the head. "Why don't you go play until dinner time?" 

He can see the forest from his bedroom window as well, and he stands there for a moment, his nose pressed to the cold glass as he watches it. He doesn't know what he's expecting to see, because he knows that magic is often invisible unless it's being used for a spell. Still, he stands there for a long time before finally turning away, taking his building blocks out of their container so he can play.

Tooru spends the rest of the week looking forward to the weekend, so that they can go on their picnic. He helps his mother get their food ready and packed into the basket that his father has already prepared with a picnic blanket, drinks, and books. They walk to the forest together, and Tooru's mother takes his hand as they approach the trees, holding it tightly and keeping him by her side.

"Tooru, keep walking," she murmurs, as he nearly trips over his feet trying to take everything in.

The trees here are old, their trunks thick and sturdy. The magic Tooru could feel standing on the doorstep of his house is nothing compared to the way it feels here, walking among the trees. His father leads them on the path that takes them through the forest, until they find a clearing to stop in. They spread their blanket over the grass and get their food out of the basket, setting it all out in front of them. 

They're further into the forest than Tooru has expected to go, and the walk has made him hungry. He doesn't even protest when his parents make him eat his lunch before he can play, and he eagerly eats whatever he's given without complaint. 

He's halfway through his lunch when he's suddenly hit with the feeling that he's being watched. He glances around at the trees around the clearing before turning to his mother.

"Does anyone live here, in the forest?" 

"It's a big forest," she replies. "I wouldn't be surprised. There are all kinds of magical creatures who don't like living in busy places with us, you know. A forest like this would be nice for them."

"But they're not dangerous?"

Shaking her head confidently, Tooru's mother smiles. "I don't think anyone would want to cause trouble, or it would find its way back to them. All of the magical creatures I've met only want to live their own lives without being bothered. If you come across any, you should be polite to them, just like you would with anyone else." 

He nods, glancing towards the trees again before he continues eating. 

After lunch, his parents sprawl out on the blanket with books, happy to enjoy the pleasant weather. Tooru gets to his feet and his mother fixes him with a stern look. 

"Stay in sight, Tooru. I don't want you getting lost." 

"Okay," he replies, walking over to the trees. He rests his hands against a thick trunk, peering into the forest beyond. He thinks he can make out the shape of something moving and whatever it is, he doesn't think it looks very big.

"Hello?" he calls out, and he isn't nervous after what his mother told him. "My name's Oikawa Tooru. Do you want to play?" 

He doesn't get a reply immediately. He frowns, because he's certain that he's not just imagining things. He clears his throat and tries again, remembering how his mother taught him to approach people at daycare. "It's okay if you're shy and you don't want to play! But I'm going to be over here if you do, okay?"

He's met with silence again, until he hears a quiet voice reply, "I want to play."

Tooru beams. "What's your name?" 

"Iwaizumi Hajime," comes the reply. The shape among the trees moves again, coming closer. "I think I'm going to scare you, though."

"Are you going to hurt me?"

"No," Hajime replies. "But…"

He steps closer, and Tooru realises that he's not talking to a talking to a person, but a dragon.

Hajime is roughly the same size as Tooru and they stand eye to eye for a moment, taking each other in. Hajime has deep green scales, stands on four legs and has two wings folded against his back. He cocks his head to the size, watching Tooru with bright green eyes.

"I've never been this close to a human before."

"I've never met a dragon before," Tooru breathes. "This is so cool."

Hajime makes a pleased rumble, flicking his tail. "What do you want to play? There's lots of places to hide around the trees, if you want." 

"Yes!" Tooru beams, but then remembers his mother's rule. "Oh… but I'm not allowed where my parents can't see me."

As if on cue, Tooru's mother calls out, "Tooru, what are you doing over there?"

"Hajime," Tooru smiles at him. "Maybe if you meet my parents, they'll be okay for us to play together? That's how it works at daycare."

"Daycare?" Hajime repeats, sounding a little confused, but he follows Tooru anyway, folding in on himself to make himself look as small as possible as he steps out from the trees. 

" _Tooru_!" his mother calls again, sounding a little concerned this time. 

"This is my friend!" he says, waving at her. He turns to Hajime, humming in thought. "I can't hold your hand, because you don't really have one, do you?" 

Hajime carefully extends one of his wings, holding the tip of it out towards Tooru. "You can hold this if you want? But maybe not too tightly."

They walk over together, with the tip of Hajime's wing carefully held in Tooru's hand, stopping in front of his parents.

"This is Hajime," he tells his parents. "He's never met humans before! He's my friend, can I play with him?"

His parents exchange concerned looks, and his father hums in thought. "What's a young dragon doing all on his own in the forest?" 

"I was just going for a walk," Hajime replies, sitting down in front of Tooru's parents, one wing still outstretched. "I live in a cave over that way, but I heard you over here so I came over to look. Sorry."

"It's nothing you need to apologise about," Tooru's mother says with a smile. "Do you live by yourself, Hajime-kun?"

He shakes his head. "I live with my family. Do you have to meet them before I can play with Tooru?"

"We'd prefer that," Tooru's mother says. "The forest is big, you see, and Tooru's never been in it before."

"My parents are nice. I want them to meet Tooru anyway." 

Tooru helps his parents pack up their picnic blanket, so they can follow Hajime into the forest, walking off the path and winding their way through trees instead, until they're deeper in the forest. Hajime slows down as they approach another clearing, but this one leads to a cave. 

Holding onto Hajime's wing the entire way, Tooru spends the entire walk planning out the games that they can play. Hajime sounds just as eager, adding his own suggestions based on his knowledge of the forest. 

"My family lives here," Hajime says, stopping in front of the cave. "I'll call them out for you." 

Tooru waits outside with his parents. 

"Are dragons meant to be scary?" Tooru asks, looking up at his mother. "Did I do something bad? You said that if I come across anyone, I should be nice to them."

"They're nothing to be scared of," his mother replies confidently, placing a hand on his shoulder. He can feel the way she's brimming with magical energy, and it puts him at ease for some reason. "I'm mostly just excited to meet them. I never knew there were dragons living in this forest." 

"Oh, there absolutely are," a voice replies from within the cave. They look up to find a giant dragon emerging from the cave, her scales a light blue that shines in the sunlight. "Just the four of us, though. We moved around more often before Hajime hatched four years ago, but we've mostly made this cave our home since then. I'm Hikaru, Hajime's mother."

"You're four?" Tooru asks Hajime, beaming. "Me too!"

"Really?" Hajime walks around his mother, returning to Tooru's side. "That's pretty cool."

"Hajime doesn't have any friends his age," one of the other dragons speaks up. He's smaller than Hajime's mother, and his scales are the same deep green as Hajime's. "It would be good for him to have someone to play with. If you don't mind, of course. We can keep an eye on your son—Tooru, was it?"

"Yes," Tooru replies with a smile and bows politely. "It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Shinji," he says, turning to Tooru's parents. "I'm actually a dragon shifter, so if it's easier for you, I can…"

He trails off, shifting into the form of a man. He's roughly the same height as Tooru's father, with dark hair and a kind smile. "I don't often use this form, these days. Hikaru is entirely a dragon. That's her younger sister, Akane, standing at the back. She's only sixteen now. She's a little shy."

The red dragon in question remains sitting towards the back of the group, folded in on herself like she doesn't want to be there, but Tooru thinks she smiles when he waves at her in greeting. 

"Hajime," Tooru speaks up, "can you change shapes like your dad?"

"I've never tried," Hajime replies, turning to his father. "Can I?"

"Why don't you find out?" he replies with a smile, his arms folded across his chest. 

Hajime hums with thought and then suddenly, Tooru can feel the magic coming from him. He's slower to change forms than his father was, surrounded by a glowing light until he's in the form of a young boy who closely resembles his father, with the same dark hair. Hajime's eyes are just as green as they are in dragon form, and they widen as he wobbles on two feet, stumbling forward.

Tooru catches him, his arms wrapped around Hajime tightly.

"It's hard to balance on two feet and no tail," Hajime grumbles, holding onto Tooru's shoulders. "Hey, I have hands now. We can hold hands."

"I'll hold your hand until you can balance on your own," Tooru tells him, gripping Hajime's hand tightly. "I'll hold your hand even after that too!"

"It seems pretty decided to me," Tooru's mother says, smiling as she watches them. "I'm happy to have Hajime over to visit, so that we don't burden you with having to look after Tooru all the time. I'm sure we'll find something that works."

"Yes," Hajime's mother agrees. "I'm glad that our sons met."

Hugging Hajime and holding on tightly, Tooru can't help but agree. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

It takes all of one week for Tooru and Hajime to grow inseparable. Their parents organise playdates throughout the week, alternating between the forest and Tooru's house.

The forest doesn't seem as big or intimidating as it first did, now that Tooru is growing familiar with it. Hajime's father keeps an eye on them as they play, making sure that they don't wander too far. While Hajime is welcome to stay in his dragon form when he visits Tooru, he uses it as an opportunity to grow more comfortable in his human form instead. 

Tooru stands at the edge of the forest, beaming as he sees Hajime walking towards him, holding his father's hand. Hajime's unsteady steps are growing more confident by the day, and he's getting better at running when he plays with Tooru too. 

Reaching out, Tooru takes Hajime's hand, squeezing it and grinning at him. "Did you walk all the way from the cave today, Hajime? You're getting better at this!"

"He might be a bit tired, Tooru," his mother warns. "I think you should both sit down and eat something before you play, or Hajime-kun might have to go home early because he'll be out of energy."

Hajime shakes his head firmly. "I'll be fine. I promise!"

They do as they're told anyway, sitting in the lounge room with a plate full of snacks because neither of them wants to risk Tooru's mother making good on her word and sending Hajime home. There's always plenty to catch each other up on since they last saw each other, especially because Tooru had to go to daycare instead of seeing Hajime yesterday. 

"My aunt is teaching me how to fly around the forest!" Hajime tells him excitedly. "Everything looks different from high up, and I can fly for longer every time I try, even if I don't fly very high. I don't want to fall."

"You won't," Tooru tells him with confidence. "You can do it. You're Hajime, you're my best friend. You can do anything you want."

Hajime laughs. "You're funny. What's a best friend?"

"It's when you have lots of different people you like to play with, but one person is your favourite. You're my favourite."

"You're my favourite too," Hajime declares. "I like you best, even if I don't have a lot of friends. There are a few creatures I play with in the forest sometimes, but there aren't any dragons my age. Everyone else is nice, but I don't talk to them the way I talk to you. Are you still my best friend, even if you're my only friend?"

"I want to be your best friend, no matter what." Tooru leans against Hajime. "I want to be your favourite. I want us to be together forever! That would be the best thing ever."

"Yeah," Hajime agrees with a smile. "Let's do that."

They finish eating their snacks so that they can play in the backyard. It might not be as big as the forest, but there's still plenty of room for them to throw Tooru's ball around, or to play whichever game they've made up that day. 

As much as Tooru enjoys going to daycare, he likes it a little less now that it means that he can't spend the day with Hajime. Yesterday, he'd made sure to keep track of as many games as he could so that he could play them with Hajime. 

"Where do you get these games from?" Hajime asks, as he and Tooru play. "You said you played it at daycare. What's that? Is that why I couldn't come over yesterday?"

Tooru wrinkles his nose. "It's where I go to learn things. Okaa-chan said that it's so I'm ready to start going to school next year, where I'm going to learn even more things."

"Why do you have to go somewhere special for that?" Hajime asks. "My parents just teach me things if I have to learn them. Or my aunt, like how she's teaching me how to fly."

"It's different." Tooru frowns. "That's what my parents say, anyway. I have to learn things like writing and reading and how everything works, for when I'm grown up."

Hajime hums in thought. "I guess that's useful. But we can already read and write, can't we? We already know the kanji for our names."

"We have to learn _more_ ," Tooru tells him. "Hey. Why don't you go to school with me? Even if we have to learn instead of playing, we can still be together. I bet you can learn lots of things as well! You're a human sometimes. Maybe you should learn some human things?"

They wait until the next day, when it's Tooru's turn to visit Hajime in the forest, before they ask about it together.

"Um," Tooru speaks up, when he's in the dragon cave. "I'm going to school next year! So I can learn lots of things! And. Um."

"Can I go to school too?" Hajime adds. "I want to learn things too. With Tooru."

His parents exchange a look, and it's one that Tooru recognises from the times he's seen it on his own parents' faces. Whether human or dragon, the meaning behind it is clear enough.

"I'll let Hajime meet all my friends!" he promises Hajime's parents. "I'll let them play with him. I won't keep him to myself, even if I want to because he's my best friend!" 

Hajime's mother chuckles at that, lowering her head so she can smile at Tooru. "I'm glad that you would take such good care of him, Tooru-kun, but I'm not sure that school would be very helpful for Hajime right now."

"But—" Hajime begins with a frown.

"I went to school, when I was a little older than you," Hajime's father speaks up. "My school was mostly human, with a few others like me who could take human form sometimes. It was useful, but there were a lot of things I didn't learn about myself and my own magic that I should have back then, and it was harder to learn later. You have plenty to learn, Hajime, and this is the best age for it. I'm not saying that you can never go, but we'll wait until you're a little older. After you've learned more about being a dragon. That comes first. I know you want to go to school with Tooru-kun, but you'll get to see him in the afternoons anyway. You can both work hard during the day and play once Tooru-kun is home from school and you're done with your lessons. How does that sound?"

Hajime looks over to Tooru and sighs, clearly disappointed with the outcome. "It's okay, I guess."

"Maybe once you're both old enough to start junior high," Hajime's father continues, "we'll think about it again. That might be a better time for you, but by that time, you might not want to go to school with humans." 

"I'll want to go," Hajime says firmly. "If Tooru's going, I'll want to go with him." 

Hajime's parents look at each other again and sigh in unison. Tooru reaches for Hajime's wing, stroking his fingers over it to ward off both of their disappointment. 

"It's okay, Hajime," he murmurs. "We'll still get to see each other and play. Maybe we can even show each other what we've learned!"

When Akane takes them into the forest later, she snorts in amusement, nudging Hajime with her snout. "I can't believe that you're so eager to go human school, Hajime. It would be so boring. Just for Hajime, not for you, Tooru. You should definitely go."

Hajime huffs, nudging Akane right back even though he's too small to even make an impact. "You've never been to a human school, how would you know that they're boring?"

"You're a _dragon_ , Hajime," Akane points out. "You need to learn how to fly and how to use magic. Not… whatever it is that they teach humans."

"You don't even know," Hajime laughs, clambering onto her and nipping at her playfully. "Hey, Tooru, help me here."

"Is it okay if I climb onto you?" Tooru asks hesitantly, standing in front of Akane. 

She grins at him. "You don't have to be scared of me, you know. Like you said before, Hajime is your best friend. We see each other often enough. Am I really that scary?"

Tooru shakes his head, taking it as permission to clamber onto her back and help Hajime wrestle with her. Akane, once she gets to know someone and opens up, is easy to get along with. Even though she's Hajime's aunt, she's still young enough to play with them, and sometimes she just lets them run around through the forest themselves, but at times like these, she joins in too, and Tooru likes it. He likes Hajime's family, and how comfortable he feels around all of them, just the same as Hajime has grown familiar with Tooru's family. 

It doesn't matter that they won't end up going to school together, Tooru thinks to himself. Not when their families get along so well. Not when everyone is committed to making sure that the two of them get to spend as much time together as possible. It's only been a short while since they've met, but Tooru can't remember what his life was like before he had Hajime to look forward to every day. He's glad that it isn't something that he has to worry about. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

"I have to go away in winter," Hajime says, on an autumn afternoon as they play in the forest. He doesn't look directly at Tooru as he says it, his gaze fixed on a pile of fallen leaves, a bright spot of orange against green.

"Where are you going?" Tooru asks. "How long are you going for?"

"I have to go away for the whole winter," Hajime mumbles. "We have to fly south, because it's too cold for us here."

"The whole winter," Tooru repeats uneasily. "That's a really long time."

"I'll be back after," Hajime adds hurriedly. "When it gets warm again. We always come back. This is home. I promise I'll be back."

Tooru looks away, blinking. He suddenly feels like crying. "I'm not going to see you every day any more."

Hajime nudges Tooru gently with his muzzle. "I asked if I had to go. I don't want to. I don't want to leave you here. But my dad said that winter isn't good for dragons. We get really sick."

Tooru turns to him, trying not to pout. "Is that why you have to go home earlier these days? Because it's cold?"

Hajime nods. "Dragons are pretty strong, you know. But when we get sick, we get _really_ sick."

"Then it's important for you to go," Tooru concludes. "Don't get sick, Hajime."

Smiling, Hajime nuzzles against him. "I'll miss you. But I'm not going just yet, okay? We still have some time."

"Good," Tooru nods. "I want to spend lots of time with you before you have to go. I'll think of some good games for us to play when you get back, too."

"Yeah!" Hajime sounds happier now. "We'll have to play lots when I get back. You better not forget about me while I'm away, okay?"

"I'm not going to," Tooru says solemnly. "Don't forget about me either, Hajime."

"As if I could," Hajime snorts. "You're my best friend, remember? I'm never going to forget you."

Throwing his arms around Hajime, Tooru hugs him tightly. "Good!"

Curling his tail and wings around Tooru, Hajime hugs him in return. "Are we going to play, or what? You have to go home before it gets dark, remember? And it's getting dark sooner, these days."

"It's winter's fault," Tooru mutters, remembering what his mother has taught him about the different seasons and the changes they bring. "I hate winter."

Tooru hates winter more with each day that brings it closer, because it means that they're one day closer to Hajime having to leave. He can see the way the chill in the air takes its toll on Hajime. His movements are slower, he's quick to tire, and he tends to sleep more. It doesn't happen when he's in his human form, but perhaps that's just because they're in the warmth of Tooru's house, wearing the matching sweaters that Tooru's mother has knitted for them. 

Unfortunately, though, Hajime can't just stay at Tooru's house, bundled up in clothing. It's not something that Tooru would even ask of him.

"You've been dealing with this very well, Tooru," Tooru's mother tells him with a smile, in the dying days of autumn as they wrap a blanket around their shoulders against the cold. She looks out the window into the darkness of the night, in the direction of the forest. "I know this is going to be difficult, but I'm proud of you."

Tooru smiles at her, but he doesn't think that he feels ready at all. He finds himself clinging tighter to Hajime day by day, and he knows that it's obvious. The good thing, Tooru thinks, is that Hajime clings just as tightly in return. Tooru is secure in the knowledge that however much he doesn't want this to happen, Hajime doesn't want to leave either.

When the day finally comes, Tooru's entire family goes to see Hajime off. Tooru's older brother, Taishi, is home from university for the weekend, and joins them too. 

Hajime blinks up at him when they're in the forest, his tail flicking with curiosity. "You look like Tooru."

Taishi laughs, crouching down in front of Hajime. "You mean he looks like _me_. Wow, Tooru said he made a cool new friend but I wasn't expecting you to be _this_ cool."

Hajime brightens up. "Tooru thinks I'm cool?"

" _Onii-chan_ ," Tooru pouts. "You're not meant to just tell him!"

"Sorry, sorry." His brother pats Tooru's head with a smile. "Listen, Hajime. This guy never shuts up about you, so hurry up and come back when the weather gets warmer, okay? I'll be back for the break, so I'll take good care of him while I'm here, but he's going to pout all winter until you get back. I already know it."

Hajime nods. "I'll fly back as fast as I can."

"You're a good kid." Taishi pats Hajime on the head. "Have a safe trip, okay?"

"I will. Thank you."

"I wish you met my brother sooner," Tooru sighs. "He's really amazing, but he lives in Tokyo, and it's so far away. But I think you're going to be ever further away. Are you going to be okay flying the whole way there?"

"Yeah," Hajime nods. "We'll stop for breaks. And if I get tired, I'm allowed to rest on my mother's back and she'll carry me. But I want to fly as far as I can by myself. I'm going to make Akane proud, after all the time she spent teaching me."

"You're going to do great," Tooru says, throwing his arms around Hajime and hugging him hard. "You're going to fly so fast and you're going to be the best dragon in the whole world and—"

"Tooru," Hajime interrupts. "Are you crying?"

" _No_ ," Tooru sobs. He trembles a little, burying his face against Hajime's scaled neck. He can't hold back the tears now that they've started, and he doesn't think that he's ever been sadder than he is right now, having to let Hajime go for an entire winter.

He's expecting Hajime to tease him for it. Instead, he's surprised when Hajime's wings wrap around him tightly, his body trembling as he cries too.

"You're going to make me cry _more_ ," Tooru tells him, sniffling.

"Shut up," Hajime replies. "I'm crying because you're crying."

Tooru's mother clicks her tongue, gently pulling the two of them apart. "Come on now, Tooru. You have to let him go so he can leave. He'll be back before you know it."

Hajime tightens his grip on Tooru, nuzzling against him before finally letting go. "Okay. Bye, Tooru."

"Bye," Tooru replies, wiping his eyes as he watches Hajime join the rest of his family in the clearing they're using to take off. 

Hajime's mother is the first to spring into the air, her large wings spreading out to either side as she flies in a circle above their heads, waiting for the rest of her pack. Hajime's father goes next, and Akane gives Hajime a gentle nudge, before they both take off together. Being so much smaller than the rest of the dragons, Hajime has to flap his wings to keep up with them as they glide through the air. 

With one last circle in the sky, they turn south and continue to fly. Hajime lets out a soft roar of goodbye, a small sound to match his small size. Tooru waves, knowing that Hajime won't see but not caring. He stands there and waves until Hajime is out of sight entirely, then sniffs quietly and tries not to start crying again.

"You're doing so well," his mother tells him, picking him up with a smile. "It's difficult saying goodbye to friends, even for a while. I'm proud of you, Tooru."

He rests his chin on her shoulder, humming in reply. He already misses Hajime. He doesn't know how he's going to last the entire winter when it hasn't even properly started yet.

"Hey, Tooru," his brother says, walking behind him. "Why don't I show you some of the cool magic that I've learned at university? I bet you'll like it." 

"Yeah?" he asks eagerly, wiggling in his mother's arms until she tightens her hold on him. "Show me!"

"Taishi," their mother scolds gently, "if you're going to get him excited like this, then _you_ can carry him while he kicks his feet."

Laughing, Tooru's brother takes him instead, propping him up against one hip and lifting a hand in the air. Tooru watches with fascination as leaves begin to grow from the tip of each finger. They cover Taishi's hand, growing down across his palm and then springing from his wrist too. 

"Wow," Tooru breathes, reaching out. "Can you make them grow on my hand, too?"

Taishi does, and Tooru's eyes widen in amazement as he watches the tiny leaves sprouting from his skin. 

"I'm learning how to use my magic to help the environment," Tooru's brother says with a grin. "I want to use it to help plants grow in places where they don't any more. I was actually thinking of trying to grow new kinds of plants in the forest, while I'm here. You know this place pretty well, don't you Tooru? I know I'm not Hajime, but do you think you could show me around the forest and help me find some good places to grow new plants?"

Tooru kicks his feet in excitement. "Yes! Do you think they'll grow by the time Hajime gets back so I can show him?" 

"We won't know until we try," Taishi replies. "Maybe after lunch, okay?"

It's enough to keep Tooru occupied for the entire day. The moment they finish eating lunch, Tooru takes his brother by the hand, leading him deep into the forest.

"Do you always play here?" Taishi asks, looking around. "This is further than I've ever been in the forest before."

"Hajime knows the best places," Tooru replies. "I'll show you. There are some places with lots of flowers growing, so maybe you can grow some more things there?"

Leading him through the trees, Tooru stops at one of the smaller clearings that he and Hajime like sitting in. There are all kinds of flowers growing near the edge of the clearing, even in autumn, and Tooru suspects that there might be magic involved.

"These are nice flowers," Taishi murmurs, crouching down to take a better look at them. "I learned how to grow roses for my girlfriend, but I haven't tried many others. Maybe I can give it a go, to see if this forest likes my magic."

"Do forests decide?" Tooru asks. "If they like you or not?"

"Magic can be a little tricky sometimes," Taishi explains. "Sometimes, two different kinds of magic work really well together but sometimes they don't. This forest has a lot of magic and it's been around for a while, so it might not like me trying to change things around."

"This is a nice forest, though," Tooru replies. "I'm sure it will understand."

He watches with fascination as his brother gathers magic into his hands, coaxing a small stalk up from the ground. Tooru claps with delight when he sees the way a flower unfolds itself under Taishi's hand. It's very small, but it's there all the same. It stays when Taishi moves his hand away, and they both grin at each other.

"Can I learn how to do magic too?" Tooru asks. "I want to learn how to make plants grow. Will you teach me?"

"We can try," Taishi replies. "Maybe we can talk to Kaa-chan and see if she'll help. She's pretty good at teaching magic. She was the first one to teach me."

"I want to be like you," Tooru declares. "I want to learn magic at university and help the forests grow, because I like forests."

"Yeah?" Taishi pats him on the head. "That would be pretty cool, you know. Maybe one day, we'll even end up working together."

"That would be the best thing ever!" Tooru exclaims. "I'm going to learn all about magic. I bet Hajime can do magic too, because he's a dragon. Maybe we can do magic together!"

Taishi laughs softly. "I'm trying to distract you from Hajime so you won't feel sad, but it doesn't look like it's working very well, huh?"

"But I'm not sad," Tooru replies, shaking his head. "I'm going to learn lots of magic while Hajime is away, so that I can show him when he gets back! How do you _do_ magic, anyway?"

"You might have to learn the basics first," Taishi tells him. "It bit might be a little boring at first, but it means that you can have fun later. The first step is to learn how to get magical energy. You can feel the magic in the air around you, right? You just have to learn how to absorb it into yourself and use it. You might have a bit of trouble at first, but that's okay. You just have to be patient and keep trying, okay? That's the most important thing, when it comes to magic. I think we should wait until we get home, because Kaa-chan will be a better teacher than I am." 

Tooru nods eagerly. "Okay!"

Satisfied with the small cluster of flowers he's managed to grow, Taishi lifts Tooru up into a piggyback. "It's good to see you smiling again, Tooru. I bet that magic's going to make you smile even more. I can't wait to see what you do with it." 

 

 

* * *

 

 

The winter doesn't feel as long as Tooru expects it to, but that's because he spends the entire time learning magic instead. 

Taishi was right; their mother is a brilliant teacher for this. She's patient with Tooru and knows how to explain things in a way that he'll understand. They spend an entire week just letting Tooru get used to the way magic feels, tingling against the palm of his hand, then working its way into him.

"It feels like electricity," he tells her, looking down at his hands as he feels the magic humming through him. It reminds him of how it feels when he gets static shocks, but more pleasant. _Magical energy_ , Taishi called it. He can definitely feel the energy. 

"Different people feel magic in different ways," his mother tells him. "It's interesting, don't you think? It makes magic personal, to each and every person who uses it. There's a lot that we still don't understand about magic."

"Is that why Onii-chan is at university to study it?" Tooru asks. "Do you think that maybe when I grow up, I can study it at university too?" 

"I believe that you absolutely can, if that's what you want to do," his mother smiles. "By the time you're Taishi's age, I'm sure that there will be even more that we know about magic that we don't know yet. Maybe you'll even be the person to discover new things for us!"

Tooru beams. "With Hajime too?"

"I'm sure that there's a lot about magic that dragons might already know that we don't understand yet. I think it works differently for them than it does for us. We'll have to ask Hajime what kind of magic he knows when he comes back, won't we? We've seen him change shapes already, but maybe while you're learning things here, he's learning new things while he's away. Maybe you can learn from each other and help each other grow." 

"I want to," Tooru says. "I want to get better and better at magic, with Hajime! It's not going to be as much fun if he's not there as well."

"You'll have other people to do magic with too." Tousling his hair, Tooru's mother picks him up and sits him on the kitchen counter as she prepares to cook dinner. "Not just Hajime. Remember that you have other friends, like everyone that you like playing with at daycare, and all the new friends you'll make when you start going to school. Even if Hajime's your best friend, you'll have other friends to play with and learn with as well." 

"Yeah," Tooru agrees. "I want to play with everyone! I want to learn magic with everyone, and make sure that everyone has fun!"

He focuses on learning as much magic as he can after that, getting a feel for the basics of everything. His mother teaches him how to conjure shapes that hang in the air before blinking out of existence, how to use his magic to help pick up the toys scattered across the floor of his room, guiding them back into his toy box without having to touch them. They go for walks through the forest together, and now that Tooru is more sensitive to it, he can feel the magic of the forest even stronger than he could before. It hangs in the air all around him, and he feels like he's breathing it in. 

"Does everything feel different when you start using magic?" Tooru asks his mother, tightening his grip on her hand. 

"A little," she replies. "See, magic is like a kind of energy that exists around us, and we have to learn how to use it. Once you start to notice that it's there, things do feel a little different for a while, but you'll get used to it soon. By the time Hajime comes back, the forest will feel normal to you again because you'll be used to it." 

"Onii-chan said something about how sunny days feel magical to him," Tooru remembers, from one of the days they spent out together before he returned to university, before winter truly settled in. "What did he mean by that?"

"Sometimes, people have one special thing that gives them lots of magic," Tooru's mother says. "For Taishi, it's sunlight. I'm not sure if it's because he likes doing plant magic and plants like sunlight, but if he's standing out in the sun, he'll fill up with magic without even having to try. It happens for some people, but it's not a big deal if it doesn't. People can use magic either way, once they learn how." 

"But sunny days are better for Onii-chan, right?" Tooru asks, frowning up at the sky. "Is he sad during winter because the sun doesn't shine as much?" 

"He can't use as much magic when the sun isn't out, but he's still fine. That's why he does most of his magic in the sunnier parts of the year."

Tooru hums in thought. "That's a bit unfair, though. Do you have a special thing that fills you up with magic too?"

"I don't," she shakes her head. "But I don't mind. Magic is still fun, and I like watching Taishi do his magic. I'm going to enjoy watching you do yours as you get better at it too, Tooru." 

"I'm going to get really good at it by the time Hajime comes back," he tells her. "So I can show him everything! He's going to think I'm really cool and maybe we can play and do magic together. We can make up some new magic games." 

"Only if he's allowed to do magic with you," his mother warns him. "He might not be allowed, if he's still learning. I don't want you getting disappointed. You should wait and ask him before you get too excited, okay?" 

Tooru nods. "Okay. I can wait. I'll ask him, when he comes back. But you'll teach me new things, right?" 

"I'll teach you as much as I can, Tooru," his mother promises. "Just don't rush yourself, okay? We have plenty of time to learn." 

By the time the days start growing longer again and the weather begins to warm up, Tooru is comfortable with the little bit of magic that he's learned. He knows how to create short-lived illusions, he can make things momentarily change shape, but his favourite bit of magic so far is being able to freeze objects mid-motion. He learned it completely without meaning to, when he knocked over a glass at the dining table and wanted to stop it from hitting the floor. His parents were so impressed with him that he's tried it again and again, with different kinds of things. It's worked with balls, it's worked with the water dripping out of the bathroom tap, and it's even worked on leaves swept away by the wind. 

He doesn't know the exact day that Hajime will be flying back, but towards the end of winter, he starts every morning by checking the skies, just in case he sees the familiar shapes on the horizon. He's disappointed each and every time, and when he's this close to seeing Hajime again, every single day that passes without his return feels too long. He's sad with every night that falls without being reunited with his best friend, and not even magic can distract him from that. 

Then, on the third day of spring, Tooru wakes up with a jolt. It's not a sound that rouses him, but a feeling. He can sense the change in the air, and he doesn't know how to explain it, beyond the fact that he knows, without a doubt, that Hajime is back. 

He gets out of bed, climbing up to peer out of the window, and the forest doesn't look any different to how it did before. It doesn't matter. Tooru knows, and he hurries to brush his teeth before going downstairs to find his mother. 

"Kaa-chan!" he greets, "We have to go to the forest, I think Hajime is back!"

"Did you see him?" she asks, peering out of the kitchen window. 

"I didn't, but I know he's back," he tells her. "I can feel it. The magic feels a little different today. Hajime's back." 

She hums in thought, looking at him. "Alright. Let's get you bathed and changed, and we'll go to the forest once you've had breakfast."

Tooru hurries through his morning, impatient to go to the forest. He doesn't think he's ever eaten breakfast faster in his life and his mother chuckles as they put their shoes on and head outside. 

He tries not to run, but his mother relents, and they walk faster than they usually would as they make their way along the familiar path through the trees, to the cave where Hajime's family lives. 

"Hajime!" he calls, as soon as the cave comes into sight, and he's greeted with a loud, excited roar. 

"I told you," he says to his mother, beaming as she lets go of his hand so he can run forward. " _Hajime_!"

Hajime runs out of the cave to greet him, still in dragon form, leaping at Tooru and knocking him to the ground to nuzzle against him.

"You've gotten bigger!" Tooru exclaims, wrapping his arms around Hajime and hugging him tightly. Hajime is taller than Tooru in his dragon form now. He's heavier, which he seems to realise after a moment, clambering off Tooru to let him stand. As soon as Tooru is standing, though, Hajime shifts forms and hugs him again.

At least in human form, Hajime doesn't look any different to how he did before. They're still roughly the same height, and Tooru squeezes him tightly, resting his chin on Hajime's shoulder. 

"I missed you," Hajime tells him. "I have so much to tell you. I wanted to come over to your house and say hi as soon as we landed, but my dad said that I had to wait because it was too early. I'm glad you're here." 

"I'm glad you're home," Tooru replies. 

Hajime's parents walk out of the cave, greeting Tooru and his mother. 

"Hajime wanted to visit," his father says to Tooru's mother. "I can bring him over later, if you don't mind?"

"I'll take him back with us now," Tooru's mother says. "I don't think the boys are going to let each other go any time soon."

She's absolutely right. Tooru doesn't let go of Hajime's hand once, as they walk out of the forest together. 

"I made some friends when I was away," Hajime tells Tooru. "Other dragons my age, from different places! I met Kai and Naoki and Mamoru, and they were all lots of fun to play with, but the best thing is that now that I've got other friends, I _know_ that you're definitely my best friend. I missed you the whole time and wished I could be playing with you too."

"How did your flying go?" Tooru asks. "Did you manage to fly all the way by yourself?"

"I had to rest for a bit while we flew," Hajime sighs, "or else we'd end up taking too long to get there or come back. Akane was still proud of me, though! She says that I've improved a lot, just from flying there and back."

"I knew you'd be amazing," Tooru beams. "I bet you've learned a lot. I can't wait to hear all about it!"

"I bet you have too," Hajime replies, nudging him. "How did you know that I was back, anyway?"

At that, Tooru brightens up even more. " _Magic_. That's how."

Hajime's eyes go wide. "You learned magic? Me too!"

"Really?" Tooru squeezes his hand. "I can't wait to see!"

 

 

* * *

 

 

Tooru and Hajime start practicing their magic together just as often as they play. Hajime's magic is completely different to his; unlike Tooru, Hajime doesn't have to draw energy from the environment around him, because he already has magical energy inside him. 

"Maybe it's because you're a dragon," Tooru muses. "You're already magical, so it's probably easier for you than it is for me." 

"Maybe," Hajime agrees. "But you're already really good at using magic. Did you really only just start when I left for the winter?"

"Yeah," Tooru grins. "But magic's so much fun, I didn't want to stop. I kept asking Kaa-chan to teach me more and more, until I got better at it. I wanted it to be really good by the time I showed you. Maybe by the end of next winter, I'll get even better so I can surprise you again!"

"I'll have to get even better too, then!" Hajime replies. "We'll keep getting better and better together!"

When Tooru begins school, his parents enrol him in a special class for developing his magical skills. It's held after school once a week, and as much as Tooru wishes he could be spending that time with Hajime, he's glad that it's helping him grow. Most of the time, it doesn't matter that he's a human and Hajime is a dragon, because they find ways to make things work anyway. The difference in their magic and their abilities is something that they can't compare or change, though. 

As much as Tooru doesn't want to admit it, the thought makes him a little uneasy. Hajime's other dragon friends, who he will sometimes speak about, are probably better at understanding the way that Hajime speaks about his magic. He tells Tooru that it feels like an extension of himself, like he doesn't even have to think about it before he uses it. 

Tooru can't even imagine what that must be like, when he has to think so carefully about the magic that he draws from around him. He might be getting better at actually using the magic to cast spells, but it still requires much more effort than what Hajime needs. He doesn't feel any worse at magic than Hajime though, when he can tell that his own approach to magic is equally confusing to his friend. They're just different from each other, Tooru tells himself. It's not a bad thing. It's just a fact. 

If Tooru can find any way to improve himself and understand his own approach to magic, he'll take it. 

They work around the fact that Tooru has to spend his weekdays at school and spend as much time together in the afternoons as possible. Their lives settle into a comfortable pattern and the next winter feels a little easier to deal with. The one that comes after that is even easier. Hajime grows bigger and bigger in dragon form, until he can no longer fit comfortably through Tooru's door and has to stick to his human form when he visits instead. His human form, at least, doesn't grow as drastically. He's still roughly the same height as Tooru, slightly taller some springs when he returns from the south, and sometimes slightly shorter when Tooru has had a growth spurt instead. 

Their magic gets stronger, and Tooru learns the feeling of dragon magic. He learns to tell when it's Hajime's and when it's Akane's, purely based on the way it feels. Hajime's magic feels so comfortable that the feeling of it is just as familiar as Tooru slipping into his favourite jacket. With each passing year, Tooru grows more attuned to the magic that resides inside of Hajime like an endless spring. It helps him focus on his own and it doesn't matter that their approaches to magic are so fundamentally different to each other, because the very feeling of Hajime beside him makes Tooru feel more confident. 

When they're nine years old, a thunderstorm rolls into the town and changes magic for Tooru entirely. 

He feels it from the moment the clouds darken the sky, even though he can't quite find words to describe the way he's suddenly jittery. All he knows is that he can't shake the feeling of waiting for something, even though he has no idea what it is. He's not afraid of storms, when he's already experienced so many, but he's never felt quite like this before. 

"Tooru?" Hajime asks uneasily, sitting on the floor of Tooru's room. "Stop standing at the window like that. You're being weird."

"It's going to start raining soon," Tooru murmurs. "You should stay here until the storm's over."

"Okay," Hajime replies. "I will. I don't really want to get caught in the rain anyway. Come on—"

There's a flash of lightning, quickly followed by the crash of thunder.

"Wow, that's really nearby," Hajime mutters. "I hope it's not the forest—"

He falls silent as he looks at Tooru. 

"Hajime," he whispers, his voice trembling a little. His entire body is trembling, he thinks. He isn't entirely sure, because he can barely feel anything beyond the insistent thrum of magic through his veins. 

"Tooru." Hajime is immediately on his feet, walking over. "What's wrong?" 

"The lightning," Tooru says, just before another flash. This one seems to be a bit further away but it makes Tooru's back go rigid all the same. "There's something magic about it."

"Stay right here," Hajime says uneasily. "I'm getting your mother."

Tooru nods absently, his gaze still fixed on the view from the window. He can't see much, because it's dark and it's raining, but his breath hitches at the next flash of lightning. He can feel his magical energy growing stronger, filling him up, and he never even knew that he could contain this much of it at once. He's never thought to draw this much magic from his surroundings before, but he's not doing it on purpose right now. 

He wonders if this is how Taishi feels on sunny days. 

"Tooru?" his mother calls, as she walks up the stairs with Hajime. 

"I think," Tooru says slowly, turning to her, "I've found my source of magic." 

"Storms?" Hajime asks, raising an eyebrow. As a dragon, he has no need for magical sources, but Tooru has explained the concept to him before. Clearly, based on his expression, he remembers everything Tooru has told him. "That's what fills you with magic?"

"I think it's lightning," Tooru hums, pressing his hand to the cold glass of his window. "Maybe just the electricity. I've been feeling weird all afternoon, since the clouds got darker. Like you said, they've never been this close before." 

"You'll need to find a way to let that magic out," Tooru's mother tells him, "you don't want to overload yourself with energy. No one really knows the limit to their own magic until they find out through practice. It's different for everyone." 

"I'll help," Hajime offers. "We can do magic together, right?"

Tooru turns to look at his room. He gestures at the few things he has lying around on the floor, and they immediately straighten themselves, floating to their rightful places. Tooru exhales shakily, blinking with surprise. Gathering magic is always the most difficult part of casting spells for him but when he's already brimming with magical energy like this, it feels almost effortless.

Judging by the way his mother and Hajime are staring at him in surprise, he's not the only one who has noticed it. 

"Your spell," Hajime says slowly, "worked even better this time than it usually does. Is this seriously because of the storm? You're not pulling a prank on me, are you?"

"Not a prank." Tooru shakes his head, still blinking in wonder as he looks around his tidied room. He feels a little better, now that he's used up some of the magical energy in him, but the next strike of lightning has him jittery all over again.

"I know this is uncomfortable," Tooru's mother tells him, "because you're not used to having this much magic at once. The same thing happened to Taishi when he started absorbing magic from sunlight. He was around your age too, actually. I wonder if it's something that only happens when you're a certain age? But either way, you'll get used to how this feels too."

"That's what magic is about, isn't it?" Tooru hums. "Magic makes everything feel weird and new until you get used to it, and then you find something else that feels weird and new, that you never would have found if not for the first thing. It just keeps going like that."

"You're doing really well so far," Hajime tells him. "Besides, this is kind of cool."

"You think so?" Tooru asks, grinning. "Kaa-chan, I think I'll be okay. Thanks for helping, though."

She nods, turning to leave. "Call me if you need me again, okay? I'll just be downstairs."

"I wonder how long this is going to last," Tooru wonders, looking down at his hands. 

"You feel different," Hajime says hesitantly, stepping closer. His tongue darts out over his lips, the way it sometimes does when he's trying to sniff the air, before remembering that he's in human form. He breathes in, then exhales. "You smell different. Like the smell of your magic has gotten even stronger, compared to the rest of you."

"Is that a bad thing?" Tooru asks, frowning.

"No. But your magic has a smell, and a specific kind of way that it feels. I don't think I noticed that before, but I don't think I'm going to notice anything else for a while."

Tooru laughs. "That's how I felt when I first realised I could feel your magic from inside you. You felt so different, and it took me a while to get used to the feeling, so I could stop being so distracted by it. Maybe you'll learn how to ignore the way this feels too."

"I don't know," Hajime frowns. "It's really strong. You're pretty cool, you know that? I had no idea that you could do something like this."

"I didn't know either," Tooru confesses. "But you're right, it's pretty cool huh? I hope I still have all this magic tomorrow so I can use it when we're playing in the forest. Maybe I have enough magic to try turning myself invisible this time, when we play hide and seek."

"That's cheating," Hajime points out, shoving Tooru gently. "We've already said there's no magic allowed when we're playing that sort of thing." 

"I guess," Tooru allows, sitting down on the floor and picking up a small ball, throwing it into the air and making it freeze as it reaches its apex, just to give his magic some kind of outlet. He plucks it out of the air and then throws it into the air again, repeating the process. 

"You're getting better at that," Hajime observes, shuffling a little closer to him. 

"I wonder if I can make it speed up, instead of just stopping it," Tooru muses, throwing the ball again. 

This time, the ball hits the floor so hard that it bounces right off, rebounding against a wall with a loud thump before Tooru freezes the ball again.

"Twice the speed, twice the force," Tooru mutters. "Right."

"You're experimenting with your magic right now?" Hajime asks with a grin. "Nerd."

"I feel really good," Tooru tells him. "Being this full of magic. It feels amazing, like I can do anything in the world. I like this feeling."

"You probably could," Hajime says. "Do anything in the world, that is. I'm not just saying that because you're my best friend. You're really focused when it comes to this sort of thing." 

"I like magic," Tooru replies with a small shrug. "I like the way it makes me feel but more than that, I like the way spells come together. I like how there's so much we still don't know about it. Taishi's research on magic sounds really cool. When I get older, I'm probably going to do the same thing. Maybe I can do research on different people who have sources of magic, and see how it makes them feel? I bet that's different for everyone too, just like everything else."

"I'll help," Hajime decides, bumping their shoulders together. "We can work together. If you want."

Wrapping an arm around Hajime's shoulder, Tooru grins. "Of course I do. Always. I can't wait, Hajime. I'm already excited about how, in a few years, we're going to be at junior high together. It's going to be so great." 

"It is," Hajime agrees. "We're going to have lots of fun, aren't we?"

"Yeah! Just like we always do."


	2. Chapter 2

The first day of junior high approaches, and Tooru doesn't think that he's ever been more excited for anything in his entire life. 

This even eclipses the way he feels when he's waiting for Hajime to return home in spring. He can't keep the grin off his face whenever he thinks about the fact that he'll be going to school with Hajime. They're going to be able to see each other through the day, and it doesn't even matter that they won't be in the same class. 

Kitagawa Daiichi is the closest school in their area that focuses on teaching magic on top of the usual curriculum. Hajime is going to be in a class that caters to the fact that he's not human. His classes are more flexible, allowing for the fact that he'll be away for the entire winter, and he still gets to share some classes with the human students too.

Tooru is so excited the night before that he can't even sleep. He's tired by morning, stifling his yawns behind his hand as he stands at the front of his house and waits for Hajime to join him.

"You were up all night, weren't you?" Hajime asks, taking one look at him. 

"So were you," Tooru realises, taking in the way Hajime is still blinking the sleep from his eyes. With a grin, he nudges Hajime. "You're excited too, huh?"

"Of course I am," Hajime mumbles. "I get to go to school with you, after listening to you talk about it for such a long time. Do you have a lot of friends from elementary school that are going to be there too?"

Tooru shakes his head. There's another school, close to his old elementary school, but it doesn't focus as much on magic. Most of his friends are going there instead. Tooru doesn't mind. Kitagawa Daiichi is the better match for him, and he'll have Hajime anyway. 

"We can make new friends," he tells Hajime. "Together." 

Hajime smiles, bumping his shoulder against Tooru's. "Yeah, we can." 

Tooru doesn't really know what to expect from their first day. He knows that things aren't going to be the same as they were in elementary school, but he's eager to learn. He's excited about sharing this experience with Hajime and he knows that no matter what comes out of today, he's going to have fun.

He's right about that, until sometime in the afternoon. 

It's about lunch time when he notices the fact that Hajime is getting agitated. He mutters an excuse to their classmates before taking Hajime by the shoulder, steering him away.

"Is everything okay?" Tooru asks, frowning with concern.

"Fine," Hajime replies, avoiding eye contact. It's so obviously a lie that Tooru pouts a little. Hajime sighs quietly, pulling back and turning to their new friends. "Come on, let's go before people think we're weird."

"Is it because you're not used to so many people?" Tooru guesses. 

Hajime shakes his head. "I said I'm fine. Come on."

"Will you talk to me about it later?" Tooru asks, folding his arms across his chest.

Hajime runs a hand through his spiky hair and sighs. "Sure." 

Tooru worries about it for the rest of the afternoon, trying to think of what could possibly be bothering Hajime. Maybe he's right and it _is_ the people, but he can't stop wondering if there's something else to it. Perhaps he's not actually enjoying school, and Tooru got his expectations up, only for the real thing to disappoint him.

Maybe it's Tooru's fault, and the thought sticks at the back of his mind until it's time to go home. Tooru has an after school magic class just like he did in elementary school, but it doesn't begin until next week, so he has the time to walk home with Hajime. 

He waits in front of Hajime's homeroom, so they can walk to their shoe lockers together. Hajime looks like he's having fun talking to his classmates, and he smiles when he sees Tooru. Maybe it isn't Tooru's fault after all, but he can't stop feeling a little uneasy all the same. 

"How was your first day at school?" Tooru asks as they walk out of the school gates together. "Was it what you expected it to be like?"

"A bit," Hajime nods. "When I fly south for the winter, the young dragons like me usually get herded up so we can learn lessons from the older dragons. I was kind of used to that, so that bit was okay. It's nice seeing you during recess and lunch time."

"Yeah," Tooru agrees, smiling at Hajime. "Even with other people there, I'm glad I got to spend some time with you." 

Hajime's expression clouds over for a moment, and Tooru frowns a little.

"…Hajime?"

"I think we should stop calling each other by our first names," Hajime says, looking down at the ground as they walk. "Everyone else calls you Oikawa. I'm going to call you Oikawa too." 

Tooru's eyebrows draw together. "Why? You're Hajime. I'm Tooru. We're different to everyone else. Just because they call me Oikawa—"

"That's what I'm calling you from now on," Hajime cuts in. His voice is firm, and he's frowning. He looks unhappy, but Tooru doesn't think it's directed at him. "I just want to treat you the same way that everyone else treats you. I don't want to treat you differently."

"But you're different," Tooru argues. "You're my best friend. You're _Hajime_. I don't want that to change."

"Just call me Iwaizumi," Hajime tells him.

Tooru stops walking. He doesn't know why it hurts as much as it does, and Hajime still won't look at him. 

"Hajime—"

" _Iwaizumi_."

"No." Tooru folds his arms across his chest. "I'm not calling you that! Why are you being so mean? Is it because you don't like me any more, because you have other friends?" 

"No, Tooru—" Hajime reaches for his arm, faltering a little. He sighs heavily. "Oikawa. It's not like that, okay? You're my best friend. That's never going to change. I just can't treat you differently to how other people do, because it's not going to go well. It's a dragon thing. My parents warned me that it might happen, because I'm used to spending all my time with you."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"It does!" Hajime argues back. "Dragons don't like sharing, okay? And there are so many people here who like you and I don't want to be the kind of person who hates it when you're friends with other people! So if I don't treat you differently to the way everyone else does, then maybe I'll stop feeling like this and I can get along with everyone better."

"Are you jealous, Hajime?" Tooru asks, blinking in surprise. 

Scowling, Hajime turns away. "Don't tease me. And don't call me Hajime."

"I'm not going to call you Iwaizumi," Tooru says stubbornly. "You've never been _Iwaizumi_ to me. It's too weird. You're being a bit selfish, you know, suddenly bringing this up and expecting me to just agree to it."

"I'm trying _not_ to be selfish," Hajime snaps. "I know it kind of sucks, but it's better than me getting jealous whenever someone comes near you. I don't want that to be possessive like that."

"You say that, but it feels like you're putting distance between us," Tooru frowns. "If you don't want to treat me any different to how anyone else treats me, then what about all the things that makes us best friends? Are you going to stop visiting my house? Are you going to stop sleeping over? No one else ever does that. Are we going to stop doing magic in the forest together? Are we going to stop—"

"Oikawa," Hajime interrupts. He sounds irritated, and it only makes Tooru feel angrier. "Why do you have to turn everything into such a big deal? Why can't this just be easy?" 

"If you wanted to stop being friends," Tooru snaps, "then you should have just said so, instead of all this." 

Hajime blinks with surprise. "Oikawa—"

"Stop calling me that!" Tooru yells. He turns away, tightening his grip on his bag, and runs the rest of the way home without looking back. 

Hajime doesn't catch up to him the entire way home, and Tooru doesn't know if he's glad for it or if it makes him even more upset. He sniffs angrily, opening the door and taking his shoes off before walking into the house. 

"Tooru!" Taishi is sitting in the lounge room with their mother. "How was your first day of junior high? Where's Hajime?"

Tooru sniffs again, frowning. "We had a fight. He doesn't want to call me Tooru any more, he wants to call me _Oikawa_. He probably doesn't even want to be friends any more. I hate him. I don't want to talk about it." 

Taishi sighs, patting the couch beside him. "If you're sure. Mariko's bringing Takeru over in a bit, if you want to get your mind off things. You know Takeru loves playing with his favourite uncle." 

Tooru smiles at that, even if it's quick to disappear. He does love his nephew, but he doesn't think that he's going to stop thinking about his argument with Hajime any time soon. 

He turns it over in his head as he plays catch with Takeru later that afternoon, unable to ignore the fact that Hajime was meant to come over after school. He thinks about Hajime trying to pull away from him so they aren't close any more, and this isn't what he expected of his first day of junior high at all. 

It keeps him awake late that night, even though he's tired. By the time that he wakes up the next morning, he's utterly exhausted. He drags himself out of bed, getting ready for his day at school. He isn't sure if he wants to wait for Hajime before walking to school today. When he walks downstairs for breakfast, though, Hajime is sitting there on the couch. 

"Hey," Hajime greets quietly. 

"Hey," Tooru replies, looking towards his mother, who simply sets his breakfast out on the table before going upstairs. 

"I'm sorry about yesterday," Hajime mumbles, his gaze fixed on the floor. "I shouldn't have just blurted it out like that. I should have explained better." 

"Dragons are pretty possessive," Tooru says, remembering what Hajime told him yesterday. He's spent all night thinking of all the signs he's seen of this, in the way Hajime acts about his belongings, about his family. "You're trying not to let that get in your way at school. It makes sense." 

Hajime sighs, some of the tension leaving his shoulder. 

"I'm not going to call you Hajime," Tooru tells him. "If you're not going to call me Tooru. I'm not going to call you Iwaizumi either. I'll give you a nickname."

Hajime smiles a little. "You've been thinking about this since yesterday afternoon."

"So have you," Tooru replies. "Iwa-chan." 

" _Iwa-chan_ , huh?" Hajime hums as he considers it. "Okay." 

"But we're still hanging out after school," Tooru says firmly. "I don't care that I don't do that with anyone else. That's not being possessive or anything, that's just being Iwa-chan. Deal?"

Hajime laughs softly. He sounds relieved. "Yeah. Deal. I'm sorry, again." 

With a sigh, Tooru crosses the room and hugs him tightly. Hajime's breath hitches with surprise, before he hugs Tooru back, just as tightly.

"Come on," Hajime murmurs, nudging Tooru gently. "Eat your breakfast, so we can go to school, Oikawa." 

Pulling back, Tooru grins. "You should learn to be a bit more patient, Iwa-chan."

 

 

* * *

 

 

To Tooru's relief, Hajime doesn't try and distance himself any more after they stop using each other's given names. They still spend most of their time together and soon enough, the entire school knows that they're inseparable.

Tooru waits for it to bother Hajime. He waits for yet another conversation about how they can't be so much obviously closer than the rest of their friends, but it doesn't come. Hajime doesn't seem to be acting particularly possessive, and Tooru doesn't know how to bring it up, so he doesn't. Perhaps Hajime has figured out a way to deal with it. 

Either way, Tooru is happy with things the way they are. He can feel his magic getting better, thanks to the after school magic classes, and thanks to all the time he spends trying new things with Hajime. 

He's popular enough at school that he's never alone, even during the winter when Hajime flies south. But everything always feels different when they're apart. His winters always feel like a countdown until they're over, idly wondering how much bigger Hajime will be in dragon form when he returns. 

Hajime is nearly the same size as his father now, though his aunt and mother are still bigger. Tooru wonders if Hajime will grow that big, or that strong. He's a talented flyer now, able to keep up with the rest of his pack. He's powerful, both in terms of magic and pure strength, and Tooru can feel both regardless of which form he takes. 

First year turns into second year, and by the beginning of their third year, Tooru is content with life. He's happy with how he's developing his magic, he's happy with the friends that he's made, and he's happy with the way Hajime has remained a constant in his life, no matter how much they disagree, or compete, or fight. 

Or, at the very least, he's happy until the start of the new academic year, when the newest batch of first years joins the school with Kageyama Tobio among their number. 

Tooru takes one look at Kageyama and doesn't even need to pay attention to the whispered rumours to be able to tell that he's looking at a prodigy. It's easy enough to sense just from Kageyama's magic that he's incredibly powerful. He's constantly brimming with magical energy, like it never runs out for him. His magic is complex, and Tooru supposes that simple spells must be boring to someone who has access to so much magic. 

It's difficult to understand the logical pattern when watching Kageyama weave spells together between his fingers, but Tooru can't deny the fact that the spells themselves are incredible. No matter how needlessly complicated they seem, Kageyama weaves them together by sheer instinct, finding the perfect solution for whichever problem is put to him, faster and more elegantly than anyone else.

The magic class is small, so it's combined between the three grades. It means that Tooru has to see Kageyama every second afternoon, and he hates it. He hates the constant reminder that he might be good, but there are people much better than him, people whose potential surpasses his, and there's nothing he can do about it.

Kageyama's magic source, Tooru discovers within the first week, is the moon. All it takes is for the moon to be in the sky at night, whether it's visible or not, and Kageyama is full of magical energy for the next day.

It's unfair, Tooru thinks bitterly. That's the problem with magic, though. It plays by its own rules. It doesn't care about the way people feel.

If anything, it only serves to make Tooru more determined to improve himself. It doesn't matter that the odds are stacked against him. He'll find a way to get better—to _be_ better than Kageyama. To prove that he can be.

Hajime watches on with concern, because he's usually the one that Tooru vents to. He knows all about how inferior Kageyama can unintentionally make Tooru feel. Worse, he knows Tooru well enough to sense his personal competition with Kageyama, without even needing it to be mentioned.

"He's just a lucky kid," Hajime mutters. "You don't have to hate him for it, you know."

"I don't hate him," Tooru dismisses. "I just want to crush him. Is that such a bad thing?"

"Ugh." Hajime shakes his head, but there's a ghost of a smile on his lips. "You have the worst personality in the world when you turn things into a competition. Which magic is _not_ , by the way. Just in case you've forgotten."

"I should be better at magic since I know what my magic source is too," Tooru says, humming in thought. "I need to find a better way to utilise it. I love how it feels when I'm full of magic. Even if it's quicker to fade for me than it is for our dear Tobio-chan."

"Were you even listening to me?" Hajime asks, kicking at Tooru's foot. "Not a competition. I want you to remember that, okay?"

Tooru doesn't reply immediately. When Hajime nudges him gently, he sighs loudly and squeezes his eyes shut.

"Iwa-chan, I really love magic, you know. Ever since the first time I learned how to use it. Maybe even before that. I love it and I want people to remember me for how good I am at it. That's not going to happen with Tobio-chan around. He's already on a completely different level to me."

"You do different kinds of magic," Hajime points out. "Why don't you stop worrying about how much magic you have and focus on how you use it instead? You're getting better at playing around with time, and I'm pretty sure that if you keep working on that, people will remember you for it."

"You think so?"

Hajime shrugs. "I always talk about it when I fly south, to Kai and Naoki and the other dragons. We all think that it's pretty cool. We tried doing it ourselves and we can't, no matter what. But it just comes to you as easy as breathing. I think that's a pretty big deal."

"You talk about me to your friends?" Tooru asks, blinking with surprise.

Hajime thumps him on the back. "What the hell do you think? Of course I talk about you. I spend three months of the year missing you, don't I?"

Tooru's eyes go wide. He's certain that he's known, on some level, but to hear it coming from Hajime, to actually have it put into words, feels entirely different.

Hajime turns away, his cheeks turning pink. "Anyway. My point is that you're focusing on the wrong things. If you want people to remember you, then make them. I know you can do it."

Tooru smiles at Hajime. "How come you always know exactly what to say, Iwa-chan? You're the best."

Hajime looks a little embarrassed, but he shrugs it off. "I just know _you_ , dumbass. I know how good you are. How capable you are. Sometimes, I feel like I know it even better than you do."

"I'm glad," Tooru says softly. "I'm glad you know me so well. I'm really glad I know you."

"Why are you being so embarrassing all of a sudden?" Hajime grumbles, shoving Tooru gently. "Come on. Let's go home."

Tooru isn't even surprised when, as he gets out of his afternoon magic class the next day, he finds Hajime hanging back at school. Smiling, Tooru falls into step with him without a word. They're about to walk out of the school when they hear footsteps behind them.

"Iwaizumi-san!"

Tooru stops because he recognises the voice. Hajime glances in his direction, frowning slightly, before he turns around.

"Kageyama. Hey."

Kageyama looks at Hajime with the same wide-eyed wonder that most of the students do. It's probably because he's the only dragon at the school. Tooru has to concede that it's understandable enough to be impressed by Hajime. Besides, he likes the way Hajime gets flustered by the attention. Just not when it's coming from Kageyama.

Tooru and Hajime don't get a lot of time together on afternoons with magic lessons. Tooru doesn't like the fact that Kageyama is eating into it.

"Spit it out, Tobio-chan," he says impatiently. "We don't have all afternoon, you know."

"I was just wondering what dragons do during storms," Kageyama looks past them, at the sky. It's filling with dark clouds. "Do you live in a dragon cave? Is it warm, for when it storms?"

"It's pretty comfortable," Hajime answers. "Thanks to our magic. It's cosy enough for a human. Besides, the cave is deep enough that the rain doesn't really bother us. It wouldn't be much of home otherwise, would it?"

"Ah." Kageyama nods. "You're right."

"Anyway," Tooru says loudly, resting his hand on Hajime's back. "We have to go, so we don't get caught in the rain."

Hajime smiles at Kageyama. "Hurry up and get home before you get rained on, okay?"

"I will!" Kageyama replies earnestly, nodding at them both before he leaves.

Hajime glances at Tooru as they start walking again and sighs.

"What?" Tooru asks, aware that he sounds a little defensive.

"You know, I'm trying my hardest not to be possessive of you. I'm not saying that you absolutely have to do the same, but—"

"I'm not possessive," Tooru says, shaking his head. "It doesn't count when it's just that I don't like Tobio-chan talking to you. That has nothing to do with jealousy, or anything like that."

"Nothing to do with jealousy, huh?" Hajime raises an eyebrow at Tooru. "Are you sure about that?"

With a quiet huff, Tooru looks away. "We're just going to keep disagreeing about this. It's okay if you don't get it, because our magic is fundamentally different. You never have to worry about having enough magic because you _are_ magic. I'm not trying to be condescending, Iwa-chan. I'm just saying it like it is."

Hajime shoves him gently. "You piss me off when you get like this and think too hard about everything."

Tooru grins. "You just hate it when you can't tell me I'm wrong."

Hajime shoves him harder this time. He glances up at the sky as Tooru flails to regain his balance. "Come on. It looks like it's going to start raining at any moment."

As soon as Hajime says it, the sky replies with a sudden downpour. Both Tooru and Hajime cry out in alarm, immediately drenched. They huddle close together even though it does nothing to help, squinting through the rain.

"Wait a second," Tooru says, sweeping his hand in an arc above their heads, casting a spell to stop the rain from falling on them. "It's not going to get us dry, but as least we won't get any wetter. Are you going to be okay, Iwa-chan? Is the rain too cold for you?"

"I'm fine," Hajime replies, shaking his head. "This is just uncomfortable, the way it probably feels to you too. It's not cold enough to worry about."

"We should hurry up and go home," Tooru decides. "You can stay over until the rain lets up, if you want. The forest gets a bit muddy when it rains this hard."

"Yeah," Hajime agrees. "Thanks."

They get halfway down the street from their school when the storm begins.

The first flash of lightning has Tooru freezing up, his gaze fixed on the sky.

"Oikawa," Hajime says, low and uncertain. "Come on. We're going home."

"Yeah," Tooru nods distractedly. He doesn't move. 

The rumble of thunder is so loud that he can feel it in his bones. He's never been outdoors with the storm this close before. He's transfixed by the dance of lightning across the sky. It feels like the thunder is calling to him, and he wants to follow.

"Oikawa," Hajime's voice is louder now. "You're going in the wrong direction."

Tooru blinks, realising that he's walking back in the direction they came. It's the opposite direction to home, but it's where the storm is. He can feel the electricity in the air and the magic that courses through him. He shuts his eyes and thinks back to his science classes, to all the diagrams explaining how storms work. This time, however, he imagines himself in the very middle.

"Iwa-chan," he breathes. "I feel strong."

He feels Hajime gripping the back of his shirt tightly, and it makes him blink his eyes open.

"Oikawa," Hajime grits out. "Please. While I'm still asking nicely."

There's another flash of lightning and Tooru's eyes widen as he realises that the storm is moving closer. He could meet it halfway. If he feels this strong with it being as far as it is, Tooru is curious about how it will feel from up close.

"I'm sorry, Iwa-chan," he says, prying his shirt out of Hajime's grip. "I'm going this way. You go home without me, okay?"

He turns towards the storm and breaks into a run, hoping to catch it before it moves away. He uses his excess of magic to make himself move faster, letting the street fall away behind him as he runs, and Hajime along with it.

Or so he thinks.

He hears a loud rumble from behind him, and he only has a moment to realise that it's not the thunder, but Hajime. 

Tooru is knocked to the ground, then pinned down. Hajime has shifted into dragon form, and he has his foreleg on Tooru's back, keeping him down.

"Did you even notice that you dropped the rain shield spell?" Hajime growls out. "Or are you just so focused on trying to get closer to this storm that you've forgotten everything—including how _dangerous_ this is?"

Tooru blinks, realising that Hajime is right. He can feel the rain falling on him, his damp hair sticking to his forehead. "…Oh."

Hajime sighs loudly, clearly frustrated, but he spreads a wing over Tooru's head to shield him from the rain. "What happened?"

"I wasn't thinking of anything except for the storm," Tooru mumbles. "I'm sorry."

Nudging Tooru with his muzzle, Hajime rumbles softly. "I can feel all the magic in you just because it's storming. You feel pretty powerful to me right now, you know. Maybe I don't know what it feels like to worry about how much magic I have, but I understand wanting to be better than what I currently am. I don't think that running after a storm is the right way to do it, though."

Tooru sighs, pushing his damp hair back out of his face. "I guess not. Sorry, Iwa-chan."

"Just be safe, okay?" Hajime casts the rain shield spell this time, along with another spell to dry Tooru off. "I'm taking you home, so we don't have to walk in the rain. And so you don't run off again."

"What—" Tooru begins, blinking in surprise as Hajime lifts him up with a foreleg. His world tilts for a moment, and then he's sitting on Hajime's back. He can feel the dragon scales shifting beneath him with every movement Hajime makes.

"Are you comfortable?" Hajime asks. "There should be some space between the ridges on my back. Just above where my wings begin."

"Got it," Tooru replies, shuffling so he's in place. He holds onto the spines along the back of Hajime's neck. "Are you really going to fly, Iwa-chan?"

Hajime snorts quietly in reply. He gives Tooru a moment to brace himself, then takes to the air. Tooru laughs in wonder, glad that Hajime's magic is still keeping him dry. The air that whips past them is cold, but it's exhilarating to be this high up.

"I didn't know you were big enough to carry people on your back," Tooru shouts, holding on tighter. 

He has a better view of the storm from up high, and for a moment he thinks about how much easier it would be to chase a storm on dragonback before he pushes the thought from his mind.

"I've never tried it before," Hajime replies. "I wanted to try, but I didn't really know how to bring it up to you. Is it okay? Am I going too fast?"

"You're doing fine. This is fun." Tooru grins, looking around. "Can we do this more? For fun, maybe on a sunny day instead of just because you don't trust me in a storm?"

Hajime heaves a sigh, and Tooru can feel it as much as he hears it. "Don't say it like that. I just want you to be safe."

Gliding down to a clearing just near Tooru's house, Hajime lands gently. He lets Tooru climb off his back then shifts back into human form.

"Is this a dragon thing too?" Tooru asks as they walk to the front door.

"Maybe," Hajime hums. "Or maybe it's just because you're my best friend, and I don't want you to get yourself struck by lightning just because you want more magic. If I see you putting yourself in danger, my first instinct is to—"

"—Hit me," Tooru finishes with a grin.

"Just you watch," Hajime mutters, dropping the rain shield once they're indoors. "You do something like this again, and I might do just that." 

Tooru smiles as they take their shoes off. "Don't worry about me, Iwa-chan."

Hajime takes hold of Tooru's arm, squeezing it. "Stop making me worry then, dumbass."

 

 

* * *

 

 

The storm is quick to pass, but it leaves Tooru curious about magical sources all over again.

He knows that his parents can't really help him with it. His father doesn't use magic at all, and his mother has already taught him everything that she knows. Instead, Tooru turns to his brother.

Since marrying and having a son, Taishi has moved away back to Miyagi. He and Mariko live near enough that Tooru can walk over to visit.

"What's the matter?" Taishi asks, the moment he sees Tooru. "You've got something on your mind."

"I wanted to ask you about magic," Tooru says as Taishi lets him in and sets the kettle boiling for them. "About magical sources and that sort of thing. You know. Stuff that Kaa-chan doesn't really know how to answer. Stuff that… maybe she doesn't have to know that I'm asking about?"

Taishi raises an eyebrow. "Tooru."

"It's nothing _bad_ ," Tooru adds hastily. "It's more like… I don't want her talking about it with Iwaizumi-san, you know? Because she and Kaa-chan are friends. If Iwa-chan ends up finding out that I'm asking about this, he might get angry at me."

"So you're going to all this trouble, just to make sure Hajime doesn't find out?" Taishi sighs. "I don't know what you're thinking of doing, Tooru, but it must be something big."

Shaking his head, Tooru takes a sip of his tea. "Not really. It's just that—storms fill me up with magic, the way that sunny days do for you, right?"

"Right." Taishi nods. "Kaa-san told me about that."

"You know that storm we recently had? Iwa-chan and I were walking home from school when it started. As soon as I saw the first flash of lightning, all I could think about was getting closer to it. I think I was really lucky that I had Iwa-chan with me because if he didn't stop me, I probably would have kept going after it until I caught it."

" _Tooru_." Taishi puts his tea down and frowns at him. "Chasing lightning? What were you thinking?"

"That's the problem," Tooru sighs. "I don't think I was. All I wanted was to get closer, to get more energy from it. Does that ever happy with you and the sunlight?"

"I think it's a little different," Taishi says slowly. "I can't really get hurt by the sunlight, and it's not like I want to be any closer to the sun or anything. I guess that on sunny days, I can get agitated if I can't go outside often enough? I guess it's in our nature. If our source of magic is right there, then we'll want to be near it so we can fill up, but then that's it, right? We can only carry so much magical energy in ourselves before it becomes too overwhelming. Then we have to find a way to let it all out again."

"Have you ever been completely full of magical energy, though?" Tooru asks. "I don't know if I have been. Maybe it gets a little uncomfortable when there's too much, but I don't think that's the same as being _full_. I want to find out just how much I can carry, and what the best way is to get that energy. Except I don't want to keep chasing lightning and making Iwa-chan worry about me. If it's electricity that gives me magic, then I should just find other ways to get it, instead of storms."

Taishi raises an eyebrow. "You wouldn't be saying that to me without testing it out by yourself already. I know you better than that, Tooru."

With a sheepish grin, Tooru looks away. "Okay, so maybe I did that. Static electricity is easy enough to experiment with, right? So I did that. Each little shock turned into magic instead of hurting, which was so cool! But it wasn't really a lot of magic at all. I did some research into it, you know. Even though static shocks have a high voltage, there isn't a lot of current in them. I was wondering if something with a high voltage and high current would result in a high amount of magic."

"That's a dangerous thought to have," Taishi frowns. "What are you thinking of doing, Tooru? I know you don't want Hajime to hear about this, but if it's dangerous, you know that I'm going to stop you anyway."

Tooru sighs. "But what if it doesn't hurt? Then it's not actually dangerous, is it? I'm not talking about sticking a fork in a socket or anything like that. Maybe I'll start with a low voltage and more current first. Something I can control, so I can figure out exactly how this works." 

"You're not guaranteed that it won't hurt," Taishi argues. "You can't exactly predict that just from a static shock. And you don't know what else it might do to you. I don't think you have enough information just yet, Tooru."

"So I'll do more research," Tooru concludes. "I won't try anything big until I know everything. I just wanted to know if you think it's worth trying."

"You already think it is," Taishi sighs. "Nothing I can say is going to change that. But right now, it sounds to me like you're thinking of actually electrocuting yourself just to see what happens. I don't really want to encourage that, Tooru."

"Just don't tell Kaa-chan, okay?"

"Kaa-san will _kill me_ if you get yourself hurt because you're playing around with things you don't understand. Especially if it's something I could have stopped. And then she'll kill you. If you're sensible about this, then I won't have to tell her. If it hurts, at any point, I want you to stop immediately, okay? And keep me updated, if you're doing research. If I don't hear anything from you…"

"…You'll tell Kaa-chan," Tooru finishes, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay, fine. Deal."

Taishi nods approvingly. "I'm glad you came around and spoke to me about it. Do you want to stay for a while? Takeru should wake up from his nap soon. He'll be happy to see you."

Tooru grins. "Yeah. That would be great. Show me your garden, while we wait for him to wake up. I want to see what kind of plants you're growing now."

Taishi beams, leading the way outside. The garden is his pride and joy. He's used his magic to fill his entire backyard with different kinds of plants. They're always changing, depending on which plants Taishi is working with at the time. Tooru likes walking through the garden, because it never fails to calm him. Perhaps it's because he can feel Taishi's magic around him. Or perhaps it's because it reminds him that he wants to find a way to work with magic when he's older too. Either way, he feels his mind clearing as he walks. 

His brother shows him the collection of rare plants that he's growing this time. No matter how many times Tooru asks, Taishi is always happy to show them off.

"There are some at the lab that I'm not even allowed to bring home," Taishi tells him. "Delicate plants from other countries. Plants that don't even grow in Japan because they're not native and they were never introduced. Plants that are dying out even where they're _meant_ to grow."

"So you're going to help them grow back in their native countries, huh?" Tooru crouches down to take a closer look at the plants in front of him, marvelling at all the different shapes and colours. "You're pretty cool, Nii-chan. One day, I'm going to grow up and help people with magic too."

"I absolutely believe you will," Taishi replies, ruffling his hair affectionately. "But for now, just focus on figuring your magic out, okay? Find your limits. Don't push yourself too far."

Tooru looks up. "But what if I want to push those limits?"

Taishi shakes his head. "There are some limits that you'll just have to accept, whether you like it or not. The body knows what it can and can't do. Make sure you listen to yours, okay?"

Tooru thinks about it for the rest of the afternoon, even as he plays with Takeru. He thinks about it as he walks home, the sun sinking into the horizon.

He sees Akane flying over the forest as he walks along his street, her red scales shining like fire in the light of the sunset. He hears a familiar roar, smiling to himself as he sees Hajime flap his wings, catching up to her.

Tooru stands there, watching as they chase each other through the air and snap at each other playfully. Hajime is getting even better at flying, and Tooru wonders if maybe that has to do with him getting bigger. His wingspan is a lot wider now, and he covers more distance with each flap. He keeps growing and getting better at what he's doing, no matter what form he's in. He's so sure of who he is and what he can do. He's definitely not the kind of person who would ever feel threatened by someone else. Not the way Tooru feels with Kageyama. 

Exhaling slowly, Tooru balls his fists by his sides with determination. He has to grow too. He has to grow _faster_. If he has to force it to happen, if he needs to push himself a little to get to where he wants to be, then he will. Without a second thought.

He has a plan by the next morning. He walks to school with Hajime and makes no mention of his conversation with Taishi. Hajime looks like he's in a good mood and Tooru can't blame him. It felt freeing to sit on Hajime's back and soar through the sky. He can't even imagine how good it must feel to Hajime himself. 

"You're quiet this morning," Hajime observes, giving Tooru a sidelong look.

"I spent all afternoon playing with Takeru yesterday," Tooru replies. "I'm exhausted! Was I ever that exhausting when I was five years old?"

"You were probably worse," Hajime snorts, prompting a slap fight that lasts all the way until they reach school. 

They walk together until they reach Hajime's homeroom and Tooru waves at the other students already inside. There's a ghost girl, a couple of komainu twins, and a kitsune with two fluffy tails waving in the air behind him. Tooru knows them all, from how often he drops by to eat lunch with Hajime, just the same as Hajime knows all of Tooru's classmates too.

"Listen," Tooru says as they stand in the doorway. "I have physics before lunch and I have to stay back to get some extra work done, so try not to miss me too much, okay? I'll see you after we're done with class."

"As if I'd miss you," Hajime snorts. "Don't fall behind on your schoolwork, Oikawa. You know that your teachers won't let you go to magic class if you do."

"As if I would ever let anything come in the way of that," Tooru dismisses, shaking his head. "I'll see you later."

With that, he turns away walks to his homeroom. He only feels a little guilty for the partial lie.

He _does_ have physics before lunch, but there's no extra work to be done. He waits until the end of the lesson and tells his physics teacher that he'll pack away the magnets they were using for experiments during class. She thanks him with a smile, leaving while Tooru is still putting everything away.

He waits for a moment, just to make sure that she won't return. Once the coast is clear, he pulls one of the power packs out of the storage cupboard and plugs into the wall socket. He opens a drawer, pulling a pair of leads out to attach to the power pack and an electrode for the other end. 

With a deep breath, he picks up the electrode, squeezing it tightly in his hand. The power pack only goes up to twelve volts, but it's going to have a lot more current than the static shocks that he'd experimented with before. He turns it to the lowest voltage to begin with and flicks the switch, bracing himself just in case it hurts.

It doesn't. 

He gasps softly because the sensation is similar to the static shock. He can feel the tingle of electricity turning into magic against the palm of his hand. It's only a small amount, but it's a steady source this time. He turns the knob up a little, smiling to himself as he feels the magic increase too. It still doesn't hurt, even when Tooru has the voltage turned up to twelve. He laughs to himself, giddy with the satisfaction of being right. It would take a long time to fill up with magic like this, but he's happy with it anyway. It's a good first step.

He turns the power pack off, unplugging everything. He winds up the leads, putting them back in their drawer, and returns the power pack to its cupboard. The electrode, when he picks it up, is warm to the touch and Tooru smiles down at it, using his magic to cool it down so he can put it away.

He's just about to turn and leave when a voice makes him jump.

"What the _fuck_ were you just doing?"

Tooru turns around with surprise, the electrode dropping out of his hand and clattering to the floor. Hajime is standing there, right in the middle of the classroom. Tooru leans against the bench he was using, exhaling a shaky breath. He doesn't know how long Hajime has been standing there for.

"Iwa-chan…"

"You had physics work to catch up on, huh?" Hajime's voice is flat. It's somehow even more terrifying than if he was yelling. "I didn't realise that physics work required us to electrocute ourselves. My bad."

"Iwa-chan," Tooru tries again. "It's okay! It didn't hurt!"

For a moment, all Hajime does is stare at Tooru.

"It didn't hurt," Hajime repeats hollowly. "Is that it, Oikawa? It doesn't matter that you could have hurt yourself. It doesn't matter that you lied to me. It doesn't matter that you _fucking electrocuted yourself to see what would happen_."

Hajime raises his voice at the last part, and Tooru flinches.

"Are you scared of me, Oikawa?" Hajime laughs, and it's a broken, unhappy sound. "Are you scared because I'm a dragon and— _fuck_ , I want to punch you with my full strength right now. Is that why you're scared? Because my best friend—my most important person in the whole damn world—just hooked himself up to a power pack and electrocuted himself. Should I be scared too?" 

Tooru blinks, the back of his eyes stinging. "I'm sorry."

"You're not, though," Hajime sighs, walking closer to Tooru. "If you could, you'd just do it all over again. Maybe figure out a more convincing lie, because as _your best friend_ , I know better than to believe that you ever fall behind on your work. But in the end, you wouldn't change anything, would you?"

"It didn't hurt—"

"Shut up!" Hajime punches Tooru in the face, hard enough to send him staggering backwards. Tooru gasps with pain, falling against the bench.

Pulling him up, Hajime scowls at him. "You're so selfish! Did you ever stop to think about how your actions affect anyone else? Did you think what would happen to your teacher if someone found out that she left you alone in a classroom and you electrocuted yourself? Did you think about how it would feel if you ended up getting hurt? How _I'd_ feel, or your mother, or anyone else who cares about you?"

Tooru holds his hand to his nose, blood trickling through his fingers, and Hajime's gaze drops to it before he looks away with a sigh.

"Come on. I'm taking you to the nurse's office." 

"Iwa-chan—" Tooru begins, but he falls silent when he sees just how furious Hajime looks.

Grabbing the front of Tooru's shirt, Hajime drags him along through the halls, to the nurse's office without looking back.

"I'm sorry," Tooru says again, quieter this time.

"Stop it," Hajime mutters. "No you're not. Don't say it just because you think I want to hear it. I don't. It pisses me off."

Tooru doesn't reply, ignoring the people who stare at them as they pass. He doesn't have a lot of magic from the power pack, but that doesn't matter. He doesn't need much to focus it into his fingers, pressing them to his nose a little firmer and urging it to heal. He doesn't mention it to Hajime, because he doesn't know what to say to Hajime at all. 

He's never seen his best friend this angry in his entire life. Tooru doesn't know what to do, except to hope that it doesn't last. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Hajime doesn't speak to him for the rest of the day. 

In fact, Hajime doesn't even _look_ at Tooru, going as far as physically turning away to avoid eye contact in the school hallways. It leaves tooru feeling uneasy. They've fought before, and they've refused to speak to each other until eventually making up. That part isn't new, even if it is unpleasant. What _is_ new, however, is that Hajime isn't even willing to listen to Tooru. Hajime isn't willing to speak at him, not even to yell at him. He isn't letting them make up, the way that they usually do.

He doesn't want to listen to Tooru apologise and doesn't seem to be interested in any explanations Tooru might have. Right now, it just feels like Hajime doesn't want anything to do with Tooru at all. It's a terrifying thought.

There's no magic class in the afternoon but by the time Tooru gets to Hajime's homeroom, it's already empty. Hajime isn't waiting for him, not at the homeroom or the school gates or anywhere else that Tooru looks. 

Taking a deep breath. Tooru keeps walking. He doesn't want to go home when he was going to spend the afternoon in the forest with Hajime, so he ends up walking to Taishi's house instead.

"Tooru," Taishi greets with surprise, from where he's working over a flowerpot just by the door. "I didn't expect you to drop by again so soon. Should I be worried?"

"Maybe," Tooru mumbles, sitting on the doorstep and resting his chin on his knees. "I did something… well. It wasn't dangerous. I knew what I was doing. I thought it out. Iwa-chan caught me and got angry anyway."

"Tooru, I swear, if you're about to tell me you electrocuted yourself…"

"I used a power back at school. It was a low voltage. I was testing my hypothesis."

Taishi groans loudly, rubbing a hand over his face. "You electrocuted yourself." 

"Don't you start," Tooru grumbles. "Just _listen_ to me, okay? Before you jump to conclusions about me putting myself in danger. I thought about it. I needed something that wouldn't hurt just in case it didn't work. Something I could control, to see if higher voltages feel any different. It worked. It didn't hurt. I got my answer. Except Iwa-chan isn't interested in hearing any of that and he's completely ignoring me. Like I don't even exist." 

Taishi puts his flowerpot down and ushers Tooru inside, sitting down with him. He regards Tooru with a frown, as if he's looking for any signs of injury, before speaking. "It sounds to me like you scared the shit out of Hajime. That might be why he's so angry. Because he cares about you. Maybe he's scared that this is just the beginning. I mean, he _does_ know you. Besides, you said that he was with you when you were caught in that storm. He saw how fixated you were then. Maybe he's been worried about what you would do since then."

"He was expecting me to do something stupid," Tooru realises. "And he thinks I've proven him right."

"I'd be annoyed about that sort of thing too," Taishi points out. "I _would_ be annoyed at you if I didn't know that you probably approached this thing as carefully as possible."

"Iwa-chan should know that too," Tooru mutters. "He should know me. He's not just annoyed, either. He's furious. I've never seen him that angry before."

"It sounds like he might just need some time," Taishi sighs, patting Tooru on the back. "This isn't the first time you guys have fought, even if it's never been this bad before. Just give him some time, okay? He'll talk to you when he's ready."

"And what am I meant to do?" Tooru asks. "Do I just wait until he feels like talking to me again? Because I've just started learning more about my magic and I want to learn more. If Iwa-chan catches me experimenting again, he's probably going to get even angrier at me, but I don't want to stop."

"You need to find a better way to experiment with it. Can you speak to your magic teacher and figure something out? If you're working with her, then maybe Hajime will feel a bit better about it because you're staying safe. I think that might be part of the problem. It's easy to get carried away when you're just doing it by yourself. I know because it happens to me too. Maybe not the same way that it happens to you, but I get it, Tooru."

"I could try that," Tooru nods. "I could tell her what I've already found out and see where we can go from there. Iwa-chan said I should focus on getting better at the spells I can do, too. The more magic I have in me, the more I can experiment with what I can do."

Taishi laughs quietly. "I don't think I've ever met anyone as eager to grow as you are. You're already good, but that's not good enough for you, is it?"

"I want to be the _best_ ," Tooru replies. "I don't care about being famous or anything like that, you know? I just want to be good at the things I love doing. That's what would make me feel happy and satisfied."

"You'll get there," Taishi tells him. "Don't worry about this Kageyama kid so much, okay? You can still do your own thing. I can guarantee you that it's not exactly the same as what he does anyway. Work to your strengths, and I promise you'll get where you want to be."

Tooru nods. "Thanks, Nii-chan."

Hajime is still ignoring Tooru the next day. They don't walk to school together, and it feels strange. Hajime doesn't speak to him when they pass each other by in the school hallways, and it's obvious to everyone around them that there's something wrong. 

Tooru is acutely aware of it as he feels people glance at him and then the empty space beside him. He puts on his best smile and tries to sound as cheerful as possible when people ask him what has happened between him and Hajime. He brushes it off as if it's not a big deal, as if he doesn't constantly feel wrong, just because Hajime isn't with him. 

By the end of the week, everyone has gotten used to the fact that Tooru and Hajime have stopped speaking.

Everyone except for Tooru. 

His parents have stopped asking about Hajime, leaving them to sort things out in their own time. Tooru spends his afternoons staying late at magic class, or working one on one with his magic teacher.

She helps him improve his control as he casts spells, finding exactly the right amount of magic to use for each. 

"Magic is an incredibly personal thing," she explains to him, watching as Tooru throws a ball into the air, practicing being able to suspend it where it is before it falls down. "It doesn't work the same way for any two people. The best thing you can do is to learn exactly how it feels to convert your magic into spells, to make it as efficient as possible. Some people have an instinctive understanding of this. You're better than most magic users at your age when it comes to understanding how to work with your magic. You and Kageyama-kun."

The ball drops out of the air and Tooru catches it with a sigh. "But there's still room for improvement, right?"

"There always is," she replies. "I'd suggest that instead of getting very good at just the one thing, put some thought into what else this particular kind of magic can be used for. Surely, it's more than just suspending objects mid-motion. I think that controlling the way time works could be quite powerful indeed, if you get better at applying it."

Tooru hums in thought, looking down at the ball in his hand. "I'll think about it."

"That aside," she sighs. "Shouldn't you be going home? You've been spending all your afternoons practicing your magic these days. You need a break. Let me give you some advice that isn't related to magic, Oikawa-kun. When you have problems that are difficult to deal with, avoiding them by throwing yourself into work isn't the best idea."

Tooru laughs bitterly. "Even the teachers know."

"It's very obvious that there's something going on," she replies. "It's none of my business and I'm not the right person to speak to. Think of this the same way as you approach magic. There are plenty of ways you can solve a problem, but some are much more efficient than others."

Humming in thought, Tooru puts the ball down and picks his bag up instead. "Thanks, sensei. See you tomorrow."

The problem is that Tooru knows this isn't the best way to deal with the fact that he's fighting with Hajime, but he doesn't really have any control over the situation. Hajime is still outright ignoring him, keeping his face so blank that Tooru doesn't even know if it's out of anger or something else. If they ever end up in a group of their mutual friends, Hajime suddenly looks awkward, like he wants to ignore Tooru but doesn't want anyone else to feel left out. It doesn't work, it's uncomfortable for everyone involved, and Tooru feels like it's his fault.

It gets to the point where he doesn't join a group if he sees Hajime there, or he finds a way to excuse himself if Hajime joins them. Tooru has plenty of friends anyway. He can find some others to talk to so that no one has to feel uncomfortable.

It's easier to make better friends with his other classmates when Hajime isn't with him. It's something that Tooru always notices in the winter too. Without Hajime there, Tooru doesn't have his focus split between multiple people. He can give his undivided attention to whoever he's talking to. He flits between groups of friends every lunch time, giving Hajime a wide berth but being pleasant about it if anyone ever brings it up. By now, most people have learned not to. They don't ask why Hajime and Tooru aren't speaking, or if they ever will again. Tooru doesn't even know how the answer the questions anyway.

The weeks turn into an entire month without Hajime and Tooru speaking to each other. The silence almost feels normal now, and Tooru isn't upset about it any more. He gets angry when he thinks about it too hard, so he tries not to. He focuses his energy on magic instead.

Following the advice of his magic teacher, he tries to think of what else he could use his time magic for. When he isn't reporting his discoveries to her, he's telling his brother instead.

"So here's what I know so far," Tooru says, sitting in Taishi's backyard, his feet swinging as he plays with two marbles in his hand. "I can kind of control the way an object interacts with time, if that makes any sense? I can make them move slower or faster than they normally would, which you've seen me do before. There's more, though. I can make time go slow for objects too. It doesn't really seem to work when I try to make time go faster, but I guess I can't really make things go any further in time than I am? But, you know, if I wanted to, I could pick one of your plants and make it grow at half the speed that it normally would. I guess it would be more useful if I could make it grow faster though, huh?"

"Still," Taishi smiles. "That's a pretty significant step forward for you. Good work, Tooru. I'm curious though, how do you know if an object is going slowly, or if time is going slowly for that object? What's the difference?"

"When time is going slowly for an object, it's kind of like it's moving fast, compared to everything else around it," Tooru replies, setting his marbles down on the paved pathway through the backyard. "I'll show you with these."

Setting the marbles apart, Tooru points at one and gathers his magic into his index finger before tapping it. "Here. This green one is going to have time slowed down for it, okay? The blue one is just normal."

He waits for Taishi to nod before he sets both marbles rolling, their paths set to intersect a little further down. He watches with satisfaction as they both get closer to each other and the blue marble suddenly starts to roll in slow motion as the green one continues at its usual speed.

"Oh," Taishi breathes. "It's like a small pocket of time around it, and everything in that space moves slower than the object?"

"Yeah," Tooru smiles. "And then if I dispel it, everything just goes back to normal. It's cool, right?"

"That's a bit of an understatement," Taishi grins, ruffling Tooru's hair. "I'm proud of you. Good work."

It's satisfying to feel that he's finally getting somewhere with his magic and it leaves Tooru in a good mood for the next few days. He refuses to let anything get him down, even when he avoids people just because Hajime is talking to them or takes the long way home just so that there's no risk of running into Hajime. 

Tooru wonders if it's ever going to feel automatic, the way he suspects that it feels for Hajime. It takes so much effort every single time he stops himself from turning in Hajime's direction to bite back a comment that he once would have made just for the way it would have Hajime smiling. Not being Hajime's best friend is such hard work that it leaves Tooru exhausted. He hates the fact that it seems so easy for Hajime. 

Then, for an entire week, Hajime disappears. Tooru only finds out from some of their mutual friends that Hajime has gone away on a family trip for a week. It hurts to not know where Hajime is. It hurts that Hajime didn't say a thing to him before leaving. 

He swallows it down. He focuses on his magic. He snaps at Kageyama for bothering him and doesn't even feel guilty for it. 

It isn't even winter, he thinks bitterly. He didn't think Hajime would go anywhere. Especially without a single word to Tooru. 

He's walking home from magic class one afternoon when he hears a familiar, "Hey. Oikawa." 

It makes Tooru freeze, his shoulders up, his back rigid. He doesn't turn, but he doesn't have to. Hajime is walking over to him, the smallest of furrows between his brows.

"Oh," Tooru says frostily. "You're back. Are we speaking again?"

"You were avoiding me," Hajime points out. "You'd leave a room if you saw me walk in."

"You were ignoring me first," Tooru replies. "You were making it so awkward that I decided I'd rather just leave the room rather than have to put up with it."

Hajime runs a hand through his hair and sighs loudly. Tooru sees Hajime's tongue flick over his lips before he breathes in. "Your magic is different. It's grown."

"I'm not talking to you about my magic." Tooru shakes his head. "You weren't interested in listening to what I had to say when it mattered."

"I was angry," Hajime's voice is quiet. "Maybe I should have listened before jumping to conclusions. Maybe you shouldn't have been selfish and lied to me about what you were doing."

"I scared you," Tooru mutters, looking away. "You were that angry because you were scared. I'm sorry for scaring you." 

"I shouldn't have ignored you," Hajime replies. "I should have listened to what you had to say. I'm sorry too."

"Is that it, then?" Tooru asks, gesturing between them. "Does that just suddenly make up for everything? Are we just going to pretend you never went away without telling me?"

"I regretted that," Hajime mumbles, dropping his gaze to the ground and kicking at a loose pebble near his feet. "From the moment we left, I regretted it. I missed you. I _miss_ you. I'm sorry."

Tooru sighs loudly, turning around to face Hajime. "I miss you too, you grumpy bully. Come here."

They hug each other tightly and hold on, heads resting against each other. It feels good to be talking again, to be this close again. It feels good to have Hajime actually looking at him and acknowledging him. 

"I really missed you," Hajime mumbles, wrapping his arms around Tooru even tighter. "I'm never doing that again. I don't want to fight with you like that ever again."

Tooru hides his smile against Hajime's shoulder. No matter how angry he was with Hajime just a day ago, it's nothing compared to how happy he is now. "Does this make us best friends again?"

"We never stopped," Hajime replies, so confidently that it takes Tooru by surprise. "Listen. Even when we're fighting, or when we're not talking to each other, you're still my favourite person in the world, okay? You're still the most important."

"You were _ignoring me_ —"

"It was difficult," Hajime replies. "You're really difficult to ignore, you know that?"

"Then _don't_ ," Tooru tells him. "Never again. Promise me."

"I promise," Hajime murmurs, pulling back so he can smile at Tooru. "Come on. I bet you learned a lot in the last few weeks. Are you going to show me or not?"

"Prepare to be amazed," Tooru declares as they walk out of the school, falling into step so easily that it's as if the past few weeks never even happened. "You won't believe what I can do now."

Hajime grins at him, fond and confident and right beside Tooru, where he belongs. Right now, nothing else matters. Tooru feels unstoppable.


	3. Chapter 3

Aoba Jousai, like Kitagawa Daiichi, is a school known for catering to students with magical abilities. 

Like Kitagawa Daiichi, it also welcomes students like Hajime. It's an easy decision to make. 

Hajime is readily accepted into the school, by sheer virtue of being a dragon. Tooru's magic teacher sends in a recommendation for him, telling them that he's brilliant. When they invite him in for an interview, Tooru is more than happy to show off what he can do. 

Aoba Jousai means getting away from Kageyama, and Tooru is more than a little gleeful about it. There's a spring in his step as he and Hajime walk to their new high school for the first time ever. Hajime notices, no doubt figuring out exactly why, and wrinkles his nose as he laughs.

"Why are you always such an awful person, Oikawa?"

"Excuse me?" Tooru asks, pretending to be offended. "I'm a _delight_ , Iwa-chan. It's your own fault that you can't see it."

With a quiet snort, Hajime keeps walking. "Anyway, I'm kind of excited about this too. I heard that there are even more magic users at Aoba Jousai. It's kind of popular for it."

"You don't have to tell me," Tooru grins. "Why do you think I wanted to come here so much?"

"Oh, my mistake. Here I thought you just wanted to follow me so you could keep bothering me."

"You _wish_ ," Tooru huffs. "Anyway, I was accepted here before you were."

"As if." Hajime shoves Tooru and laughs. "We were accepted on the same day. You're not going to fool me."

Tooru laughs too, shoving Hajime right back. They can pretend all they want but there was no chance of either of them going to high school without the other. They've been together all this time, and it's how they're going to stay.

They arrive at Aoba Jousai side by side, and it's a fitting start, Tooru thinks to himself. It's exactly how he wants to spend the next three years.

The classes at Aoba Jousai are a lot like those at Kitagawa Daiichi. Hajime is put into a class with other non-human students just as before, but it's much bigger. It's the same size as any of the other classes and Tooru can see how thrilled Hajime is by this fact. 

Hajime knows some of his classmates from Kitagawa Daiichi, but there are others he's never met before. One of these new classmates is a part-salamander named Yuda Kaneo, who Hajime clicks with immediately. They're both part reptilian but unlike Hajime, Kaneo doesn't have to leave for the winter. There's fire burning at his core, and it's enough to keep him warm regardless of the season. He's quiet but friendly, and Tooru takes to him from the moment they're introduced. 

Kaneo introduces them to his human friend, Hanamaki Takahiro, who uses magic too. Unlike Kaneo, Takahiro is loud and quick with jokes. He and Tooru make a great combination, talking circles around Hajime and Kaneo. It's a given fact that they're going to be good friends. 

Takahiro's magic, he explains to them, is fuelled by laughter. It makes no difference whether it's his or someone else's, but it's turned him into the kind of person who tries not to take things too seriously. He's incredibly good at making people laugh, and it makes him easy to get along with.

They don't even make it to lunch time before Tooru gives Kaneo and Takahiro nicknames, declaring that he's keeping them both. Just like in junior high, Tooru and Hajime are both popular among their classmates, but it's nice to have the beginnings of a stable group of friends.

"I'm glad you like Yuda," Hajime says as they walk home together that afternoon.

"Why wouldn't I? Yudacchi is great!" Tooru smiles. "Were you expecting me to be jealous of him because you like him so much?"

"What? No!" Hajime scowls, the pink of his ears giving him away. "Maybe a little? If you started getting along with someone so well and so quickly, maybe I'd be jealous. So I wouldn't have blamed you if you felt the same, okay?"

Tooru's smile grows wider and he bumps their shoulders together. "Isn't that just a dragon thing?" 

Hajime bumps his shoulder against Tooru's in return, still not meeting his eyes. "I don't think it's just a dragon thing."

Stopping, Tooru turns to Hajime and holds onto his shoulders. "Iwa-chan. I know I'm fussy and that I like it when you're paying attention to me, or when _anyone_ is paying attention to me. That doesn't change the fact that I know we're best friends. We've been best friends for this long, right? I don't think anything can get in the way of that. No matter who else we make friends with, we know each other the best. I'm confident in that. I think you are too, even if you don't realise. You don't mind that I'm friends with Makki, do you?"

"Well, no, but—"

"That's the same thing," Tooru tells him. "Relax, Iwa-chan. You're my favourite. I'm yours. It's easy as that."

The pink of Hajime's ears spreads across his entire face and he coughs awkwardly. "Man. You sure know how to be embarrassing, don't you?"

Tooru laughs, turning to continue walking. "Are you going to tell me that I'm wrong, Iwa-chan?"

"No I'm not," Hajime replies, falling into step with him. "Now, come on. I was thinking that if we go to the forest, we could try flying together again."

Tooru's eyes go wide. "You mean it?"

He hasn't flown on Hajime's back since the first time, during the storm. They haven't gotten the chance to since before the fight, and Tooru has been wary of bringing it up since then.

Hajime has grown even more since then, so Tooru takes his time settling and finding the most comfortable place to sit. There's a dip between two ridges on his back and Tooru fits into it, already trembling with excitement. 

"Ready?" Hajime asks as he prepares to take off. It doesn't even matter that his voice is different and deeper in dragon form, because Tooru can still hear the smile in it.

"Absolutely, Iwa-chan. Let's go."

Hajime launches himself into the air, wings spreading out to either side, flapping to take them higher. Tooru feels his stomach drop out and he laughs with delight, looking around as the treetops fall away beneath them.

They didn't go this high last time, or this fast. The wind pushes the hair out of Tooru's face as Hajime flies a circle over the forest. Tooru's breath catches in his throat at the sight. He finds himself wondering what other amazing things Hajime must see every winter as he flies.

"I can't believe you're so stingy," Tooru complains, whacking Hajime on the back. "All this time, you've just been keeping this beautiful sight to yourself? So mean, Iwa-chan."

Hajime laughs. Tooru can feel the way it shakes through his entire body. "I've wanted to bring you up here for so long, I just didn't know how to ask without it sounding weird. I figured that at least it would be a good way to start high school. You know, as a reminder that there's still so much we haven't explored or tried yet. I think it's kind of exciting. We have a lot of growing to do. I can't wait to keep growing with you, Oikawa."

Laughing, Tooru presses himself to Hajime's neck in the best approximation of a hug that he can manage. "And here you were calling me embarrassing. I'm excited too, you know. We're going to be great, Iwa-chan."

"Yeah. We are." Hajime sounds excited. "I'm going to fly you from one side of the forest to the other. You think it's big now, but just wait until you see how much distance it actually covers."

"Please," Tooru breathes, sitting up on Hajime's back to look over his shoulder as they fly. 

The green of the treetops turn into a blur as they speed past. Tooru doesn't think that he would ever tire of how it feels to have the wind blowing against him.

Hajime stops at the far edge of the forest, where it drops away into a cliff. He wheels around slowly, giving Tooru time to take in the new sights. The trees around here look different, even from above. Their leaves aren't as green. When Tooru points it out, Hajime hums in thought.

"The magic doesn't feel as strong at this side of the forest, for some reason. Maybe there isn't as much place for magical creatures to live? It doesn't feel anywhere near as dense as where I live. I guess the plants in the area can tell."

"Maybe the plants growing near your cave are magic too." Tooru grins. "I remember Nii-chan trying his plant magic in the forest and saying that the plants would have to accept his magic for it to actually work. Isn't that cool? I mean, there are so many different kinds of magic, right? We only know what we can make sense of. There are probably lots more kinds that we don't even know about yet."

"You really love magic, huh?" Hajime chuckles. "I like that about you, Oikawa. You make me appreciate even the things that I've gotten used to, because all of it makes you so excited. It's… nice."

Tooru smiles to himself, not entirely sure why his cheeks feel so warm all of a sudden. He just knows that he has to change the subject before he gets flustered. "Hey. I want to see how fast you can fly, Iwa-chan."

"Yeah?" Hajime tenses up beneath him, the way he always does when he's met with a challenge. "You'd better hold on as tight as you can then, Oikawa."

Hajime's scales are smooth, but Tooru manages to get a good grip on the ridges of his back. He can feel the way Hajime's muscles bunch up to put more strength into the flap of his wings. Tooru gasps as they jolt forward. It feels like the air is being sucked right out of his lungs and he can barely keep his eyes open for all the wind resistance.

"What do you think?" Hajime asks, sounding pleased with himself. "I don't usually get to fly this fast. It's fun, huh? Do you want me to do a whole lap of the forest?"

Hajime turns, picking up his speed, and Tooru isn't prepared for it. His hands slip, and he doesn't have the time to adjust before the wind pushes him. 

All of a sudden, Hajime isn't underneath him any more. It takes Tooru a moment to realise what's happening, and his eyes snap open.

He's falling.

"No!" Hajime roars, turning around, but he's flown too fast. They're too far apart.

Watching Hajime fly towards him, Tooru realises that he won't be caught in time. 

"I'm coming!" Hajime says, stubborn as always. "Just hold on for me, Tooru!"

A laugh bubbles out of Tooru. He wants to ask exactly how Hajime wants him to _hold on_ , but there's magic gathering at his fingertips before he even thinks about it. The spell weaves itself around him out of pure instinct; he doesn't have the time to think of anything beyond the fact that he doesn't want to hit the ground.

He starts to fall a little slower, until he feels like he's just floating backwards. It's a strange sensation. He can still see Hajime racing towards him, and it looks like he's moving faster, even though Tooru knows that he's the one moving slower. 

Instead of catching Tooru on his back, Hajime grabs for him with both forelegs. He tucks Tooru close to the soft scales of his underbelly, slowing his descent until he touches down gently on the forest floor. 

"I'm sorry," Hajime murmurs, setting Tooru down on his feet and then nuzzling against him. "I didn't mean to—I'm so sorry—that was _amazing_ , how did you even do that? I didn't know your magic worked like that." 

Tooru laughs softly. Hajime is still nuzzling against him so insistently that it knocks Tooru over. He sits on the grass, cradling Hajime's head in his lap. "I didn't know it did either. I just didn't want to fall. I'm fine though, so you don't have to apologise." 

Hajime rumbles, not looking particularly pleased. "It was still dangerous though. We got lucky. If your magic didn't kick in…"

"Well, it did," Tooru replies, stroking his hand over Hajime's snout. "In a pretty amazing way. It sucks, though. I probably can't boast to Nii-chan or my parents about it, or we won't be able to fly together any more."

Hajime pulls back. "Oikawa. We're not—"

"Iwa-chan," Tooru reaches for him agan, frowning with determination. "We're not going to stop just because of one little fall, okay? I didn't get hurt. We're going to be just fine."

Shaking his head, Hajime sits back on his haunches. "That's not a good idea."

"You never let it stop you when you were learning to fly," Tooru points out. "No matter how many times you fell. You think I forgot the stories you'd tell me about that?"

"I have _wings_ to help me if I fall," Hajime points out. 

"And I have magic," Tooru replies. He gets to his feet, wrapping his arms around Hajime's head and hugging him tightly. "It's okay, Iwa-chan. I promise. I don't want to stop flying with you. We just need to make a few adjustments. Maybe we can use a harness to make sure that I don't fall off again. We'll work this out." 

Hajime hums at the back of his throat. "You really like flying, don't you?"

"So do you," Tooru replies. "I want to do this with you, Iwa-chan. It's fun, isn't it?"

"It was fun when you weren't falling," Hajime mumbles. He bumps his muzzle against Tooru's shoulder again. "We're going to do some research into this, okay? We're not going to fly again until we're _sure_ that you're not going to fall off. We're going to make sure everything is accounted for. Every little thing that you found uncomfortable, we'll find a way around it, or we're not going to fly again. Deal?"

Tooru sighs. "You're so bossy, you know."

Hajime snorts. "And this is coming from you?"

"We'll do it," Tooru replies, nodding. "It's going to be so much fun, Iwa-chan. I promise." 

"Yeah," Hajime sighs, shifting into human form. He looks at Tooru for a moment before pulling him into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're okay. I was scared." 

Hiding his smile against Hajime's shoulder, Tooru hugs him back just as hard. "Yeah. I think I was, too." 

 

 

* * *

 

 

They decide to keep their research into flying gear a secret until they're absolutely sure about what they're doing. Neither of them mention it to Kaneo or Takahiro when they're at school. Tooru is tempted to talk it through with Taishi because they've always been good at coming up with ideas together, but he doesn't want to risk his brother or his parents deciding that this is too dangerous and stopping them before they can even get started.

Still, Takahiro is observant. He catches Tooru hiding the books he's reading far too often, shoving them under a class textbook, or under his school jacket. 

He corners Tooru in the school library one afternoon just before their magic class, an eyebrow raised. "I'm not actually sure I want to know what you're up to, but the curiosity is kind of eating at me."

Tooru laughs, shaking his head. "It's a secret, Makki."

"I know that," Takahiro replies. "I'm telling you that you should be nice and share. At least so that when it blows up in your face, someone will be able to figure out why." 

"Such little faith!" Tooru holds his hand to his chest. "I can't believe that you're doubting my abilities like this. I'm scoring better than you on our magic tests, you know."

"I know," Takahiro rolls his eyes, but he elbows Tooru with a grin. "You're scoring better than everyone. It's rude to show off."

"It's rude to pry!" Tooru retorts, but he's grinning. He glances around and lowers his voice. "I can tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. And you can't tell Iwa-chan that I told you."

"I don't know how I should feel about keeping secrets from Iwaizumi," Takahiro hums. "I mean, he's a _dragon_. Have you ever seen an angry dragon?"

"I have," Tooru replies, nodding. "I survived." 

"Of course," Takahiro sighs. "I don't know what else I was expecting." 

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tooru frowns at him. "Anyway, Iwa-chan are doing some research on—"

"Flying, right?" An unfamiliar voice speaks up, making Tooru jump.

He turns around to find another first year standing nearby, with messy hair and gangly limbs. His name is Matsukawa Issei. Tooru recognises him from their magic classes, mostly by the fact that he's usually sleeping through them and never seems to get in trouble for it.

"I'm sorry," Issei says, shrugging and not looking even the slightest bit apologetic. "It's just… you spend so much time near the aviation shelves that it gets kind of obvious. Besides, your best friend is a dragon and he's been kind of hovering around you lately, so I'm guessing that something went wrong."

"Oikawa?" Takahiro asks with surprise. 

"It wasn't a big deal," Tooru mutters, shaking his head. He narrows his eyes at Issei. "How do you know so much?"

"I notice things," Issei replies with a shrug. "Besides, the aviation section is right near the best desks for napping." 

"Why do you nap so much anyway?" Takahiro asks with a frown. "Seriously, I think this might actually be the first time I've seen you and you _weren't_ asleep." 

A lazy grin curves across Issei's lips and he tilts his head to the side. "That's probably not true. People just assume that I'm always sleeping because they've come to expect it from me. Doesn't mean that I always am. Sometimes I'm just enjoying the fact that I can get away with it."

"Eavesdropping, then," Takahiro concludes. 

Issei shrugs, like he isn't bothered by the accusation. "My magical source is sleep, which can be really convenient in the mornings because it means that I'm full of magic. Not so much by the end of the day because I burn through it really quickly. Means I need to nap more often."

"Sleep?" Tooru asks with disbelief. "It's _that_ easy for you to get magic?"

"Like I said," Issei replies, "I might start with a lot of it, but even basic spells take a lot of my magic. It doesn't really leave me with much if I'm casting spells here and there through the day."

"Do you, though?" Takahiro asks. "Do you really need to cast spells all day long?"

"Well, I don't _have_ to," Issei replies. "But if I don't enchant people's pens to roll off their desks all through a lesson, who will?"

Takahiro tries and fails to bite back his grin. "Oikawa. We're keeping this guy." 

"Only if you promise not to spread what you know," Tooru says, folding his arms across his chest. 

"It was just a guess anyway," Issei replies with a shrug. "But uh, if you're trying to find good equipment or that sort of thing, I know a shop in the city that might have what you're looking for? Just a thought."

Humming in thought, Tooru rubs his chin. "Okay. You can stay."

Issei pumps his fist, and Tooru honestly can't tell if he's joking or not. "Does this mean I can get you guys to help me with my homework for magic class? It starts in ten minutes and I kind of forgot to do it."

"How do you _forget_ magic homework?" Takahiro asks. "It's more interesting than the rest of what we have to do. Were you even listening when we went over what we had to do in our last class? Part of it is finding a group to work in. I guess you could join us. If we're feeling kind enough."

"Of course," Issei nods. "Only if you'd be so gracious." 

"There were a group of girls in the homeroom next to mine complaining that their chairs kept sliding out from underneath them," Takahiro says, raising an eyebrow at Issei. "Was that you?"

"Guilty," Issei admits, as unapologetic as ever.

Takahiro snorts quietly. "Alright. You're in."

Tooru shakes his head at Takahiro with a smile. "I can't believe I'm being replaced so quickly. Just because he uses up all of his magic to pull pranks on his classmates."

"It's important, Oikawa," Takahiro says seriously, patting him on the shoulder. "You'll understand when you're older."

"You're not _that_ much older than me," Tooru protests, but when Takahiro and Issei laugh, he finds himself smiling too.

As it turns out, Issei fits in with them perfectly well. He's relaxed and easy-going like Takahiro, and they both have a common interest in making life as difficult as possible for everyone around them. They get along incredibly well, but Tooru likes Issei too. He likes the way Issei is so observant and analytical. He's incredibly difficult to fool, because nothing slips past him. It's frustrating just as much as it's fascinating, but he's a wealth of knowledge just from all the things that he's managed to pick up through observation. Tooru can tell that he's intelligent. Tooru is certain that Issei will get along with Hajime and Kaneo just fine.

When they get out of their magic class for the afternoon, Hajime and Kaneo are standing by the school gates. There's a smile on Hajime's lips, a certain light in his eyes, and Tooru immediately knows that he's been flying. He knows that Kaneo doesn't have wings in his salamander form, though, which means that they must have been practicing how to fly together. Tooru can't help but feel a little jealous at the thought of anyone else flying with Hajime. 

Hajime must notice, because he pats Tooru on the back. "He didn't like it at all, did you Kaneo? Maybe it's a salamander thing. He doesn't want to go again, but we figured out a few useful things."

"How come you were happy to take him flying if he can't fly either?" Tooru asks, doing his best not to sulk.

"He has easier access to magic than you do," Hajime replies, and Kaneo nods in agreement. "In case something _did_ go wrong again. His spells might not slow time down like yours do, but we would have managed. Anyway, what's with Matsukawa?"

"So it turns out that Mattsun's figured out what we're up to," Tooru tells him, looking up at Issei, who is lost in conversation with Takahiro. "He said that he knows somewhere we might be able to get a few supplies to help. Also, I think that he's Makki's new favourite person. Did you know that he's behind all the trouble that's been happening in his homeroom? All the pens and chairs and everything else. That's what he uses all his magic on." 

"Pranks?" Hajime asks, shaking his head with a small grin. "Figures. Explains why he always looks so exhausted when he's always brimming with magic when he gets to school. When do you want to check out this place with supplies? I have time this weekend." 

"You know I do too," Tooru grins. "Maybe if it's quick to set everything up, we can go flying in the afternoon? Or at least test it out to make sure we can fly later." 

"Yeah." Hajime nods eagerly. "It would be good to get a little closer to that." 

The five of them end up making a trip out to the city together to go shopping. The shop that Issei leads them to isn't just for flying gear, but is filled with a strange assortment of items. He leads the way through the crowded aisles of the shop with confidence, stopping in front of a rack of aviator goggles.

"You've been looking at books on old style aviators," Issei says, picking up a pair and pressing them into Tooru's hands. "You're probably thinking along the same lines that I am. I bet the wind resistance is awful. Am I right, Yuda?"

Kaneo nods in agreement. "Goggles might help with that. You'd definitely be able to see better when you're not squinting against the wind all the time." 

Tooru wrinkles his nose. "No way. I'll look ridiculous in them."

"Oikawa," Hajime sighs. 

"Come here." Issei picks up the goggles he just passed to Tooru. He stretches the band and helps Tooru put them on and then takes a step back, humming in thought. "You don't look ridiculous. They suit you. Right, Iwaizumi?"

Issei takes Tooru by the shoulders, turning him around. Hajime blinks, taking in the sight.

"You're meant to say something," Issei prompts, giving Tooru's shoulders a gentle shake for emphasis.

"You look good," Hajime says quietly. "Like Matsukawa said, they suit you. It's not like I'd lie to you just so you walk around looking ridiculous."

"Yes you would," Tooru huffs, turning to Takahiro. "Makki?"

Takahiro grins. "Oikawa, you know that out of everyone here, I'm the _most_ likely to let you walk around looking ridiculous."

" _Yudacchi_ ," Tooru tries. "Help me out, here."

"I think you look fine," Kaneo says honestly, and that settles it. 

Hajime wanders over to have a look at the other things in the shop as well. Tooru follows him, looking over his shoulder as he pokes through the different shelves. 

"What are you looking for?" Tooru asks while the others take their time looking around the shop. 

"I don't really know," Hajime sighs. "I just know that we need to use something to make sure that you don't fall off my back again. I was thinking that we could make a harness to go over my back for you to hold onto or something, but I'm not really satisfied with that. What if your hands slip or something? We need something to keep you on my back regardless."

"Something to attach myself to the harness then," Tooru hums, looking at the display in front of them. "Like a belt that goes around my waist, but clips onto the harness? Like the way rock climbers clip themselves onto the rope." 

"That could work," Hajime nods, taking Tooru by the arm and pulling him in the direction of the outdoor equipment they saw in another aisle. "We could make a harness that goes around your waist and legs. Like the ones people use for rock climbing. It might make it easier to regain your footing if you do get blown back by the wind. If it's just around your waist and it slips…"

"Better to be safe," Tooru decides. "How are we going to make these? Let's see if we can find some rope somewhere."

By the time they get home, it's late, and their arms are tired from carrying heavy bags full of rope, harnesses, and carabiners. They wave goodbye to the others at the station and make their way home together, shoulders bumping against each other as they walk.

"We'll start putting this together tomorrow, okay?" Hajime asks. "Then we can try it out." 

"Yeah," Tooru replies with a grin. "I can't wait, Iwa-chan."

 

 

* * *

 

 

By the time the summer holidays approach, Tooru and Hajime have their harnesses made. They spend as much time flying as possible until they adjust to each other. It takes a while to truly get used to the difference in their sizes, to understand the meaning behind every little movement Hajime makes. Tooru is used to him as a human and has learned all of his tics and habits well as they grew up together, but this is different. He's never realised just how different Hajime is as a dragon. 

Takahiro and Issei never ask to fly with Hajime. Tooru doesn't know if it's because they're not interested, or if it's because they realise that it's become something personal. Even if Tooru and Hajime aren't often possessive of each other, this is something that Tooru doesn't want to share with anyone else. 

Their parents are concerned at first until Akane goes flying with them to make sure that it's safe for both of them. With her approval, they're allowed to fly as much as they want, provided they don't go past the forest. It's fair, Tooru thinks to himself. Besides, the forest is big. It gives them plenty of space.

When the weather starts getting colder, though, they don't get to fly as often. Tooru has never looked forward to the approach of winter, but he dreads this one especially. Spending hours in the air alone with Hajime has made them even closer to each other, which Tooru didn't even think was possible. They get along well with their other friends but whenever they're alone, the atmosphere feels different. It's comforting, in a different way to usual. There's a level of unspoken trust and understanding between them that only strengthens their friendship.

It also makes goodbyes incredibly difficult, even when they're only temporary. 

"It's just three months," Hajime murmurs, resting his hand on Tooru's shoulder and gripping tightly. "It'll be over before we even know it, right? I'll see you soon." 

"Yeah." Tooru smiles, holding back the urge to cling to Hajime. "No big deal." 

These days, Tooru is the only one who comes to see Hajime's family off when they fly south. He squeezes Hajime's arm briefly before letting him go. "Say hi to your friends for me. Have fun flying, okay?"

"Always," Hajime grins, before he shifts into dragon form and joins the rest of his family. 

Tooru stands there, waving until Hajime is out of sight, and sighs to himself once he's alone. Shaking his head, he clicks his tongue. He's not _really_ alone and he knows it. He already has plans to have dinner with Takahiro, Issei, and Kaneo. He knows that his friends are doing their best to make sure that Tooru doesn't sulk for the entire winter. Besides, this is their first winter since meeting Hajime. Compared to them, Tooru is used to not having Hajime around for the winter. They'll probably miss him too. 

Still, the winter passes too slowly for Tooru's liking. He spends most of it playing with his magic. He focuses on his control over time, figuring out how to make it slow down enough for him that he can stay up late at night without missing out on sleep. As much as he wishes he could find a way to fast forward through the entire winter, he knows magic doesn't work that way.

When winter finally thaws, bringing the spring with it, Tooru turns his attention to the skies, impatient for Hajime's return.

As always, he doesn't have to wait for long. After all this time, he thinks that he has the migratory patterns of Hajime's family figured out. He might not be able to put it into words, but there's a _feeling_ , deep within his bones. He wakes up one morning knowing that Hajime will be home by that night. He's proven right that afternoon, when he's walking home from school and sees the familiar silhouettes of dragons in the sky.

He breaks into a run, all the way down the street, past his house and into the forest nearby. He doesn't stop running until he's in the clearing near Hajime's home. He arrives just in time to watch the dragons touching down, their large wings beating hard enough that it sends a gust through the clearing, tousling Tooru's hair.

He runs a hand through it to push it back into place, wondering if it's just his imagination, or if Hajime's dragon form has gotten even bigger. It makes sense, he supposes. They're both growing. 

Hajime spots him immediately, turning to his parents and telling him that he'll join them in a moment. Tooru waves, smiling when they incline their heads in reply, before he turns his attention to Hajime. 

As he walks closer, Hajime begins to shift into his human form. Tooru thinks that Hajime's gotten taller, but so has he. There isn't much of a difference in their height when they stand in front of each other, but Tooru will take whatever he can get over Hajime with glee.

He turns his attention to the rest of Hajime, taking him in, and feels his breath catch in his throat.

Hajime is—

_Handsome_ , Tooru's mind supplies. There's no other word for it. His green eyes shine in the afternoon light like emeralds. Tooru's skin is golden from spending so much time in the sun, but Hajime's is still just a shade darker. His body has grown a little more solid, just like his dragon form. He remembers Takahiro challenging Hajime to an arm wrestle last autumn. His biceps seem a little more pronounced this time, and Tooru wonders how it'd go if they had a rematch. 

It takes him a moment to realise that he's outright staring at Hajime without a single word. He flushes, clearing his throat.

"Welcome back, Iwa-chan."

Hajime blinks at him, and his voice sounds soft and distracted as he says, "…It's good to be home."

"How was your trip?" Tooru asks to fill the silence. "I want to hear all of your stories! Do you want to come over for dinner?"

"Yeah." Hajime glances over his shoulder at his family. "I already told my parents that I was going to go visit you when we got back. Let's go."

Walking beside Hajime suddenly feels different. Tooru can't explain it, but he suddenly feels much more conscious of Hajime beside him. He notices the way that Hajime keeps glancing over at him, but whenever their eyes meet, Tooru doesn't know what to say.

Whenever Hajime returns in the spring, he and Tooru always spend time catching each other up on everything they've missed. They sprawl out on the floor of Tooru's room, enjoying being in each other's presence again. 

Even this feels different. Tooru rolls his futon out and lies on his back with Hajime beside him, and he can't tell if he feels that they're too close or they're not close enough. He considers that for a moment. He imagines himself pressed up against Hajime, and he balls his hands into fists at his sides, willing himself not to blush.

Right now, there's nothing in the world he wants more than that. He wants to touch Hajime's shoulders, his back, his arms, to explore the new bulk there. Tooru has been going to the gym with Taishi lately, and he can feel the way his arms and legs are growing more muscled from it. He wonders if Hajime's muscles are the results of all the flying that he's has been doing, somehow translating itself into his human body. 

He has no idea what to do with all of these thoughts that didn't exist a day ago. They're so distracting, and it makes him feel on edge, like he's hyperaware of every little thing about Hajime. 

"Oikawa," Hajime says, rolling over onto his stomach and resting his chin on his folded arms. He grins and Tooru feels his heart skip a beat. "I have so much to tell you, I don't even know where to start."

"Yeah?" Tooru smiles. "Sounds to me like you had a good time."

"I wish you were there too," Hajime sighs, head butting Tooru's shoulder gently. "Every time I talk about you to Kai and Naoki and Mamoru, they keep asking me when they'll actually get to meet the famous Oikawa."

"Famous?" Tooru laughs. "So you'll admit it, I'm the great Oikawa Tooru, beloved by all—"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Hajime snorts. "I just talk about you a lot. That's all."

"Iwa-chan." Tooru pokes him in the cheek, ignoring the flutter of his own heart at the contact. "You're always so honest when you come home. You really missed me, huh?"

"Shut up," Hajime mutters, taking hold of Tooru's wrist. "You missed me too."

For a moment, they just stare at each other with neither of them moving. Hajime bites his lip, and for a moment, Tooru thinks that he's going to move closer.

Then Tooru blinks, and the moment is gone. Hajime releases Tooru's wrist, coughing quietly and rolling onto his side, breaking eye contact. Tooru turns his gaze up to the ceiling and squeezes his eyes shut, trying to remember how to breathe. 

"So, yeah," Hajime says quietly, shifting a little on the futon so that he's facing Tooru again. "Lots happened while I was away. I mean, for starters, Akane got a boyfriend." 

"Akane-chan?" Tooru asks with surprise. 

"Yeah, his name is Hatake and we've known him for a while. He's a dragon shifter, like my dad. He's pretty nice. She's happy."

"She isn't spending time with him, though?" Tooru asks. "I saw her come back with you."

"She's back for a while," Hajime explains. "Then she's going to go and visit him. I think he's based somewhere in the city, which doesn't really work out for someone who can't shift. They're working it out. I think that's why it's taken them a while to actually start dating. I think they've liked each other for a while." 

"I guess that sort of thing is important to take into consideration," Tooru murmurs, rubbing his chin in thought. "I mean, that's why you live somewhere like here, rather than in a big city, right?" 

"Right." Hajime sighs. "Even if people know that dragons exist, there's not much space for us in a busy city. It's better to stick to the quieter places with open areas." 

"So what's Hatake going to do?" Tooru asks. "Is he just going to move, for Akane-chan?"

"Maybe," Hajime shrugs. "I don't know. They'll work it out. That's what you do when you're in a relationship, I guess." 

"How would you know, Iwa-chan?" Tooru teases, prodding him gently. "Are you going to start dating a dragon when you go away for the winter too?" 

As much as Tooru means it as a joke, he can't help the sudden swooping feeling of dread at the thought. He can't bear to think of it, but now that it's in his head, it won't get out. Hajime coming home with a dragon that Tooru has never seen before, introducing them as his—girlfriend, boyfriend, or otherwise. It wouldn't matter. Tooru is suddenly aware of the fact that it would probably break him. 

"Hey," Hajime says softly. He nudges Tooru right out of his thought spiral. When Tooru blinks back to reality, he realises that Hajime has shifted closer. He's leaning over Tooru, looking down at him with a light frown. 

"Uh." Tooru's mouth feels dry. He wonders if Hajime has always smelled this good, or if it's yet another one of those sudden changes that he's struggling to get his head around. 

"I'm not interested in dating any of the other dragons," Hajime tells him. "They're my friends, you know? I can't exactly see myself with any of those guys." 

"Guys," Tooru repeats faintly, blinking at Hajime. 

"Oh." Hajime's eyes go wide as he realises what he's just said. He glances between them, at the lack of personal space. Tooru feels him freeze up. "Is it a problem?" 

"No," Tooru says softly, relieved when he feels Hajime relax against him a little. "I mean. Me too. Kind of." 

"Kind of?"

Tooru shrugs, turning his gaze to the ceiling again, because it's easier to have this conversation when he's not looking at Hajime. It would be much easier to have it without thinking about how desperately he wants to press himself up against Hajime. He isn't that lucky.

"I don't think it matters to me. If I like them, I like them." 

"Do you?" Hajime asks quietly. "Like anyone, I mean. I see girls giving you confession letters all the time. Maybe, while I was away—"

"No," Tooru replies immediately. He thinks he now understands why he's always turned them down, no matter how pretty or nice he thinks they are. He thinks of how he always gets more of them in winter, and how he's always more likely to turn them down immediately then. 

He wonders how long he's been doing this, without realising why. Without realising that it's been Hajime, all this time. 

"Oikawa." Hajime's voice is gentle, too close, too far, all at once. "You're zoning out a lot today. Are you tired?" 

"Maybe a little." Tooru smiles at him. "Keep going, though. I'm happy for Akane-chan. I hope she figures things out with Hatake. What else happened? Tell me about your friends."

Hajime does. He lies there beside Tooru for the better part of an hour, recounting the games he played with his dragon friends. He tells Tooru all about the pranks they pulled, the magic that they learned from each other. Hajime is always methodical about the way he recounts his time away, always starting from the beginning and working his way to the end. There's something in his voice as he gets closer to the end, a slight tremble of excitement, that has Tooru paying even more attention. 

"What are you smiling about?" Hajime asks, in the middle of recounting his last day before flying back. 

"You're excited about something," Tooru says. He didn't even realise that he's smiling. "I can hear it in your voice. Something interesting happened, didn't it?"

"You saw right through me," Hajime sighs. "I was trying to save the best thing until last. I've been waiting to tell you about this ever since it happened."

"What is it?" Tooru asks, propping himself up on his elbows. "You can't just say something like that and then leave it, you know."

"When we were flying back," Hajime grins, "there was a storm. We flew right through it."

"A storm?" Tooru asks, sitting up properly now. 

"Lightning, thunder, rain, everything." Hajime sits up too, sitting cross-legged opposite to Tooru. "It was a big storm too, you would have loved it. But there was something really amazing about, you know? I don't even know how to put it into words. My parents taught me a spell to use to protect myself from the lightning strikes. I want to show you, Oikawa. I want to fly through a storm with you." 

Tooru laughs incredulously, covering his mouth with a hand. "Really, Iwa-chan? After the last storm that we got caught in?"

"I know how to keep us safe," Hajime says confidently. "We're good at flying together now. I got the hang of flying through a storm. I think we can do this." 

"Do you mean it?" Tooru asks. "Do you _really_ mean it? Because you know that if we're out in the middle of a storm, I'll want to go after it. It's not just flying with me in a storm, Iwa-chan. We're going to chase it." 

"Okay." Hajime nods. "We'll do it. I'll keep you safe. Let's chase a storm." 

 

 

* * *

 

 

"There is absolutely no way you're going to be allowed to fly during a storm," Takahiro says when he hears about their plan. They're sitting on the grass at school during their lunch break and he shakes his head so hard that his tie shakes a little too. " _No_ way. What are you going to do? Just tell your parents that you're going for a walk in the middle of a thunderstorm? Your parents know what you're like. They'll figure out that you're up to something."

"There's no way a storm can hurt me, though," Tooru replies, shaking his head. "There's no danger. Electricity doesn't hurt. Iwa-chan has a spell to keep himself safe. We've already tested our flying equipment in the rain. Everything is going to be fine."

"With that kind of confidence," Issei sighs, "I feel like you're just _asking_ for something to go wrong. How much magic do you think you'll get from a lightning bolt, anyway? You don't want to go above what you can handle. There's a reason we go over this point so many times during magic class, you know.

Issei, of all people, would understand the limitations of only being able to hold so much magic at once. There's only so much that he can sleep before he starts feeling overloaded with magic. He hasn't made mention of it, but Tooru has come to realise that it's why he's always napping throughout the day and then using his pranks as an excuse to release his excess magic. Tooru used to envy people with magic sources that they could access without even consciously thinking about it, but he's beginning to understand that they have their own downsides. 

"I can help with that," Hajime speaks up. "If there's too much magic for Oikawa to handle, I can monitor that. I know what his magic feels like. I know how it feels when he has too much of it. I'll get him to let it out before we get there."

"Still," Kaneo speaks up, from where he's sprawled out beside them, soaking up the sunlight. "Be careful, okay? We don't want either of you getting hurt."

Tooru smiles. "If Iwa-chan thought that it would be dangerous, he never would have mentioned it to me in the first place. Don't you know? He's the biggest worrywart out of all of us! If he's letting me anywhere near a storm, it means that he's completely confident that we'll be safe."

Hajime grins at him, stirring up a flurry of butterflies in Tooru's stomach. Even when they're with their friends, Tooru finds himself overcome with his feelings for Hajime. He thought it would get better after the first day Hajime returned but if anything, it's only gotten worse. 

What Tooru feels now is much more complicated than the attraction he felt at seeing how Hajime changed in their time apart, as if that realisation had suddenly opened the floodgates for everything else to come crashing over him. He feels too much at once and it's distracting enough when they're alone together. It's worse when they're with their friends. Tooru can't help but worry that he's being too obvious about this whole thing.

Knowing that Hajime is into guys doesn't help because any time Tooru thinks about it, he can feel the hope clawing its way into his chest no matter how hard he tries to keep it out. Hope, he thinks bleakly, is far more dangerous than anything else. 

"If you do get to fly through a storm together, it'll be pretty amazing," Issei speaks up, pulling Tooru out of his thoughts. He gives Tooru a knowing look; the kind that is reserved for when he knows more than someone would like.

Tooru feels his heart sink. There's only one thing Issei could have figured out to make him look at Tooru like that. It's not something Tooru can handle him knowing, or worse, telling Hajime about. More than anything, he can't have Hajime finding out about this.

He turns away before his panic can show, looking up at the sky. "Either way, I don't think it's going to storm for a while. We'll find out eventually."

"I hope we get one soon, though," Hajime murmurs, his voice deep and eager. It's unfair that he has the effect that he does on Tooru without even realising. "You're going to love it."

"I can't believe this is the same Iwa-chan who stopped me from chasing a storm once. Who got angry at me when I was experimenting with electricity."

"Well, we've both learned more since then, haven't we?" Hajime asks. "I'm not some sort of killjoy, you know. If it's not going to hurt anyone, then of course I'll want to do something as cool as chasing a storm. I'll only get angry if you're not being careful about what you're doing."

"Well, if Iwaizumi's satisfied with it, I guess no one else can really complain," Takahiro sighs. "I'm curious to hear what it's like afterwards. Make sure you tell us."

"Tell us what your parents say when they hear about it too," Issei adds. "I hope it goes well."

Taishi, at the very least, takes it better than expected. 

He's doubtful at first, frowning at Tooru. "If you're talking Hajime into dangerous things that might end up hurting him—"

"Actually," Hajime speaks up. "It was my idea."

Taishi stares at him in surprise, until Hajime explains that there's no danger for either of them. 

"Really?" Taishi asks with surprise.

"It's not going to be dangerous for either of us," Hajime assures him, then gives Taishi the same explanation that they've already given their friends. 

Humming in thought, Taishi looks between the two of them. "That sounds pretty good in theory but Tooru, do you really think that it's going to sit that well with Kaa-san?"

"We'll have to find out," Tooru replies with a shrug. "I'll explain it to her as many times as I have to. It's not going to change the fact that it's completely safe." 

With a sigh, Taishi reaches out and ruffles Tooru's hair. "Look. Like I said, it sounds good in _theory_. It might not be as good in practice. Maybe that's something that we can't exactly afford you to find out for yourselves." 

" _Maybe_ it's completely fine and you're worrying for nothing," Tooru replies, raising an eyebrow. "We're not going to keep going if we think it's dangerous. Even if I want to get as close to the lightning as possible, I know when to stop."

Taishi looks entirely unconvinced. Tooru thinks he hears Hajime snort beside him. 

"If you were planning on going on your own, this would be a completely different conversation," Taishi tells him. "And a shorter one, because I'd tell you _no_ , right away."

"So you trust Hajime more than you trust me?" Tooru frowns.

"I trust him to care more about your safety than anything else," Taishi corrects. "I can't always say the same of you. Especially when it comes to anything related to magic. If it gets too dangerous for you while you're out there, I know that he'll turn you both right around and come back. That's still assuming that Kaa-san lets you go out into a storm in the first place. Good luck with that." 

"It'll be fine," Tooru says, shaking his head. "Come on, Iwa-chan. If we talk to her way before it even storms, then it'll save us some time later." 

Hajime follows a little hesitantly, and Tooru laughs at him.

"It's not funny," Hajime grumbles. "Your mother is a little intimidating, okay?"

"Says the one who has a _dragon_ for a mother," Tooru replies. "Although yours is always really nice. Kaa-chan is a bit scary when she gets angry." 

"I've seen her scold you enough times already," Hajime says. "I don't exactly want to be on the receiving end of that because she's heard that I suggested this whole thing." 

They're cautious with their approach. They both sit Tooru's mother down and talk to her about it, explaining all the evidence that they have to prove to her that neither of them will get hurt. She listens to them until they're finished and then sighs. 

"Hajime-kun, I'm good friends with your mother. Did you really think that she wouldn't tell me herself, as soon as you all returned home?" She takes a sip of her tea, before putting it down on the table in front of her. "She told me about how you flew through a particularly bad storm, and how you spent the rest of the way home talking to her about how much you thought Tooru would enjoy it. Of course she knew that you were going to talk to Tooru about it when you came home. Of course she told me about it in advance." 

"Oh," Tooru and Hajime say at the same time, turning to each other. 

"I know that if your mother didn't also believe that it would be safe, she would have shut down your idea long ago," she continues. "We've spoken about it in depth. She's already convinced me that you'll be fine. Even so, Hajime-kun. If you're carrying my son out into a storm, please bring him back." 

"I will," Hajime promises, his shoulders squared, his voice solemn. "I'd protect him with my life, if it came to that."

"Iwa-chan," Tooru mutters, looking down at his knees. He can feel the way his chest clenches at Hajime's declaration. 

"I would," Hajime says, turning to Tooru this time. "Maybe we were kids the last time I said it, but you're the most important person in the world to me. If I had to put everything on the line to keep you safe…"

"Well, ideally, it won't come to that," Tooru's mother interrupts gently. "If you're after my permission, Tooru, you have it. On one condition. Keep each other safe and come home in one piece."

They both nod in reply. "We will."

 

 

* * *

 

 

The first of the summer storms blows in on a hot afternoon that feels uncomfortably humid, even with the box fan in Tooru's room turned in their direction.

Tooru and Hajime are lying there on the floor, too hot to move. The first patter of raindrops against Tooru's window has his eyes snapping open. He sits up immediately, turning towards the sound. 

"Iwa-chan," he says, soft and excited. 

"Yeah," Hajime replies as he pushes himself up too.

They've been waiting for this storm since it first came up in the weather forecast. The weather all spring has been too mild and they've both been impatient for months. They've tested their flying harnesses against the wind and the rain several times, just to make sure that everything is ready. 

In the time that they've spent waiting, they've come up with a plan for how they're going to approach this. The first step, they both agreed, is that Hajime would make his way to Tooru's house. Tooru is incredibly glad that he's already here, because he's impatient enough to get out into the storm as it is. He can't imagine how much worse it would be if they were apart and he had to wait.

"Do you have everything?" Hajime asks, as Tooru picks up the bag with their flying gear.

"Yeah." Tooru can hear the way his own voice trembles with excitement.

Hajime grins at him. "It's finally time, huh?"

They make their way downstairs to where Tooru's parents are waiting. They've been ready for this since the forecast too. Tooru's mother looks calm and there's not a single trace of worry in her expression as she opens the door for them. 

"Be sensible while you're out there."

"We will," they chorus, making her smile. She squeezes Tooru's shoulder gently on his way past.

They don't take an umbrella with them because there's no real point. They're drenched from the moment they step outside, the rain progressively getting heavier. Hajime turns his face up to the sky, shutting his eyes with a smile.

"You're enjoying the rain," Tooru hums, watching him. "I thought you wouldn't, because of how cold it is, but you look so happy when you get caught in the rain."

"I like when it rains in summer," Hajime replies. "I really like the rain when I'm in human form. It doesn't feel very cold when I'm like this. I don't like the rain in autumn, though. It's usually too cold then. Besides, of course I'm going to be happy about the rain right now. It's part of the storm. Our storm."

Tooru smiles, pushing his hair back out of his face. He's glad that Hajime is just as excited about this as he is. It makes everything better. 

"Come on, put your goggles on now before they get wet on the inside," Hajime urges him, as they make their way to the forest. "We'll put the rest on before we take off."

"I'll wait until we get to the forest," Tooru replies. "If I put them on now, they're only going to get raindrops on them. It won't matter once we're flying. The wind pushes the rain back pretty quickly anyway."

They pick up their pace as they get closer to the forest. There's a clearing that's a little closer than the one that Hajime's family usually uses when they take off for the winter. It's smaller, but it's enough for Hajime. They stand under one of the trees, putting the bag down and pulling their equipment out. 

Tooru can feel the crackle of magic underneath his skin, as if it's a direct reflection of the electricity in the air. He casts a brief drying spell on himself so he can put his goggles on without trapping any water inside. He shivers a little as the rain starts falling on him again, but he ignores the cold as he steps into his harness. 

Hajime waits in the clearing in his dragon form, waiting for Tooru wrap the bigger harness around him. It goes over his back, attaching under his belly, and he waits until Tooru gives it an experimental tug before he lowers himself down. 

"Ready?" Hajime asks and this time, his voice is trembling with excitement too.

"Absolutely," Tooru replies with a grin, climbing onto Hajime's back and clipping himself onto Hajime's harness. "Let's go."

They both take a deep breath in unison before Hajime leaps off the ground, flapping his large wings and taking them higher into the air. 

He gets them a comfortable distance above the trees, flying in a slow circle as they look at the area around them. 

"That way," Tooru murmurs, when they both see a flash of lightning. 

"Hold on," Hajime tells him. "I'm going to fly closer. It's probably going to be a little rough."

Tooru can already feel the difference in the wind. It's not the same as what he's used to but buffets him from all sides. He tightens his grip on Hajime's harness even though he's clipped on. Even in his thick jacket, it's still cold up here. The fact that his clothes are all wet doesn't really help much either, but then the sky lights up with another flash of lightning and none of that matters to Tooru at all.

It's closer this time. The clouds rumble loudly with thunder soon after. Hajime flies higher, towards the dark clouds that hang in the air. 

"I wonder what it feels like," Tooru says, loud enough that Hajime can hear him, "to fly through one of those clouds?"

"Do you want to find out?" Hajime asks, laughing, and he doesn't even wait for an answer before he starts flying towards one.

Tooru sucks in a shaky breath as they get closer. He has enough magic right now that he can feel the way it flows through him freely. It's the best feeling in the world and he wishes that it was something that he could experience all the time. 

"Let's go," he urges. "Let's fly closer." 

They can see the sparks inside the cloud and Hajime slows for a moment. Tooru tightens his grip, takes a deep breath, and feels Hajime doing the same. 

Hajime flaps his wings, his scales shining with his protective magic, and they fly into the cloud. 

It's dark inside. If Tooru thought that he was cold and drenched before, it's nothing compared to the feeling in the middle of a cloud. He can't see anything at all, but he can feel the crackle of electricity against his skin and the responding crackle of magic within him. 

"Iwa-chan," he breathes as they emerge from the cloud. The sky is grey and bleak, but it feels so much brighter compared to being inside the cloud. 

He runs his hand along Hajime's scales. They both shiver in unison. 

"What is that?" Tooru asks, pulling his hand back before he touches Hajime's scales again. 

The feeling is back and Tooru can't even explain it. He feels full of magic, but he's not reaching his limit just yet. It feels like he's being filled and drained at the same time.

"I've been working on a spell," Hajime tells him. "I modified the one that I was planning on using for protection while we were flying. Kind of as a back up, just in case the electricity from the storm was more than we bargained for. Instead of overloading yourself with magic, you share it with me when you touch me." 

"Oh," Tooru breathes, splaying his hand out against Hajime's back. "It's a bit different to how your magic usually feels, though." 

"You're not just feeling my magic," Hajime replies. "That's _our_ magic. It's mixing together. It feels different to what we're used to, because we've never done this before." 

"We're connected," Tooru murmurs, mostly to himself. He suddenly feels warm, despite the cold all around him. He pulls his hand back, rubbing it over his face and hoping that he's not turning red, even if Hajime isn't in any position to see. 

"Do you want to fly into another cloud?" Hajime asks. 

"I think we need to make a few adjustments before we attempt that again," Tooru replies. He shivers as the cold sets in again and Hajime must feel it, because he turns around and flies back towards the forest. 

The moment he lands and lets Tooru off his back, Hajime spreads a wing out to provide shelter. Tooru stands underneath it, casting a warming spell on both of them with ease. He adds a rain shield spell to it, then dries both of them off.

"You didn't have to worry about me," Hajime murmurs, nudging Tooru gently with his muzzle. "Rain isn't so bad against scales. You're the one with wet clothes." 

"Not any more," Tooru replies with a smile. He pats Hajime on the snout. "But I think I might have to look into waterproof jackets before we fly in a storm again. _Everything_ got soaked, Iwa-chan. Not the most comfortable feeling. I thought I knew what to expect because we've flown in the rain before, but that storm cloud was a different thing entirely."

Hajime snorts softly. "Do you want me to hold a rain shield spell up while we're flying?"

"You don't have to," Tooru replies, shaking his head. "You just focus on flying. I'm not going to ask any more of you than that. I know you're good at it, but I also know that it takes a lot of concentration." 

"Waterproof clothing, then," Hajime nods. "Anything else?" 

"The electrical charge in that cloud felt amazing," Tooru murmurs, touching his hand to Hajime's snout again just to feel their magic mixing. "I like your spell, Iwa-chan. What do you think about trying to catch lightning?" 

Tooru braces himself for Hajime to immediately tell him that it's too dangerous to try. Instead, Hajime hums in thought. 

"It's going to be difficult. I mean, lightning is pretty fast, right? We can't exactly predict where it's going to strike. I don't think I can fly that fast." 

"What if I used my magic to slow it down?" Tooru asks. "Remember how I showed you with those marbles, right? I could slow time down for the area where the lightning strikes. Compared to it, we'd be flying faster. We could catch it then."

"Can you do that?" Hajime asks. "Cast a spell on a lightning bolt?" 

Tooru grins. "That's what I want to find out." 

"Okay. First, waterproof clothing. After that, I guess we'll get you practicing your magic so it has a better chance of working. A lightning bolt isn't exactly the same thing as a marble, you know. It's bigger. Faster."

"I know that," Tooru replies. He spreads his hands out, looking down at them. "But right now, I feel like I can do it." 

Hajime nudges Tooru gently with his muzzle again. "If you believe it, then so do I." 

"For a first try, though, I think we did amazing." Tooru beams, holding Hajime's head with both hands and taking in the feeling of their magic still mixing. 

"So do I," Hajime replies. "I'm going to shift, okay?" 

Tooru takes a small step back and by the time he blinks, Hajime is in his human form again. His harness falls to the ground around him and he steps around it, gathering it up as he goes.

Their bag is still sitting under the tree where they left it and Hajime packs their equipment away before he slings it over his shoulder.

Tooru reaches out, touching Hajime's arm, disappointed when he doesn't feel their magic combining any more. 

Hajime huffs out a soft laugh, covering Tooru's hand with his own. "Doesn't work unless I'm using the spell. It's pretty cool though, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Tooru murmurs, leaning closer before he even thinks about what he's doing.

"O-Oikawa?" Hajime asks, sounding a little panicked, and Tooru remembers himself just in time. 

"I'm tired, Iwa-chan," he whines as convincingly as possible. He hugs Hajime, chin resting on his shoulder. "All that excitement took a lot out of me, you know." 

Hajime snorts quietly. He sounds relieved, and Tooru tries not to think too deeply into that. "Oikawa, I swear. I'll drop you."

"No you won't," Tooru replies confidently. "Not as a dragon and not like this either." 

Hajime immediately loosens his grip. Tooru lets out an indignant squawk, holding onto him tighter for a moment before letting go. They both laugh, and at least the awkward tension is gone. 

"You're so mean, Iwa-chan."

"And _you're_ so bratty," Hajime retorts, poking Tooru in the side. 

Tooru laughs loudly, trying to ignore the disappointment that has lodged itself in his chest. He holds himself at a careful distance from Hajime as they walk back to his house, making sure that their shoulders don't bump against each other. If Hajime notices, he doesn't make any mention of it. 

Tooru's mother is waiting for them, waving at them as they walk to the front door. She has towels ready for them and Tooru takes his even though he doesn't need it thanks to the rain shield spell, draping it over his shoulders and huddling against it for warmth.

"You're cold?" his mother asks, raising an eyebrow. "Is everything okay?"

"Iwa-chan flew us through a cloud," Tooru tells her. "It's _cold_ inside clouds. Dark, too. They might look nice and fluffy, but they don't feel as nice." 

Hajime laughs quietly at that, reaching out and patting Tooru on the back. "He did really well, though. He was more patient than I was expecting him to be. We've got a few things to work on before next time, though." 

They end up recounting their flight again for Hajime's family, then for Taishi, and their friends. Tooru doesn't mind going over it again and again, because he gets to relive the experience every time. The next storm isn't due until next week, which gives them enough time to get everything ready before they attempt it again.

Even though they spend as much time together as usual, Tooru is careful with Hajime. As comfortable as the atmosphere might feel, he's careful not to initiate contact with Hajime, to keep himself from getting carried away again. Based on Hajime's response, Tooru doubts that it would be welcome. That's all he needs to know. 

He doesn't let himself dwell on it, because there are more important things to focus on instead. As confident as he is in his magic ability, he knows that he'll need to practice it so that it's easier to cast when the time comes. He's never tried aiming a spell while on dragonback before, but he suspects that the movement is going to make it a little more difficult. The better control he has over every other aspect of the spell beforehand, the better he'll be able to deal with any additional challenges. 

By the time the next storm comes around, Tooru is prepared. He has clothes specifically for flying in, waterproof on the outside and lined with fleece on the inside to keep him warm. He's practiced with his magic until it comes to him without a second thought. 

He's been making excuses to practice his magic with Takahiro and Issei after magic classes instead of spending time with Hajime, but they haven't really spoken about it. Sometimes, it looks like Issei wants to mention it, but to Tooru's relief, he hasn't yet. Tooru is sure that Takahiro must have caught on by now too, but he isn't sure. He doesn't really think he wants to find out just how many of their friends know that he's head over heels for Hajime. 

He tries not to think about it, and it's surprisingly easy to ignore. Perhaps it's just been a part of him for so long that it's faded to the back of his mind, but the more Tooru thinks about that, the sadder it makes him. 

It's just easier not to acknowledge his feelings for Hajime at all, and the easiest way to do that is to avoid being around Hajime. For his part, Hajime hasn't made any mention of it, spending more time with Kaneo instead. Tooru isn't sure if he's relieved or jealous.

When Tooru hears the first rumble of thunder in the distance, Hajime isn't nearby. He has to wait this time, and he gets everything ready in that time, picking up their bag and walking to his front door. It would be easier to meet in the forest, but Hajime doesn't want to risk Tooru wandering outside in the storm alone, just in case he gets distracted. 

The wait has him restless. He doesn't know how well things will go when he's been avoiding Hajime, but he's eager to be flying again. He's relieved when he sees Hajime walking towards the house, opening the door to meet him outside.

"Hey," Hajime greets him softly. He eyes the bag over Tooru's shoulder. "I guess you're ready?"

"Yeah," Tooru nods, leading the way to the forest. "Let's go."

Hajime hangs back for a moment, frowning down at the ground. "Listen. If I've done anything to upset you lately, I'm sorry. Maybe I'm just making it worse because I don't even know what I did, but I miss hanging out with you, okay?"

"We see each other every day," Tooru says with a forced laugh, not meeting Hajime's eyes. "We walk to and from school together every day, don't we?"

"It's not the same," Hajime mumbles. He gestures between them. "This isn't the same, and if it's my fault—"

"It's fine," Tooru interrupts, smiling at Hajime. "Such a worrywart, Iwa-chan. Come on. Let's go chase a storm."

The one good thing about not spending as much time with Hajime over the past week is that now, Tooru gets a chance to show off what he's learned. 

It's more comfortable flying in the new clothes that Tooru has bought. He still gets a little wet, but he knows that it's unavoidable. It's still better than last time. 

He wants to rest his hand against Hajime's scales and feel the way their magic combines, but he's hesitant, knowing that Hajime will feel it too and know what he's doing. He'll save it for later, when he has more magic to share with Hajime. 

"You sure you want to do this?" Hajime asks as he flies towards the lightning bolts blazing across the sky. 

"Absolutely," Tooru replies. "I can do it. I can _feel_ it, Iwa-chan."

He lifts both hands to help him aim his spell, reacting as soon as he sees the next flash of lightning. Hajime doesn't even wait to see if the spell works before racing towards the bolt. Tooru's arms flail out, but his harness keeps him in place. He holds onto Hajime's harness tightly, letting out a small huff of victory when he sees the way the lightning bolt slows down. 

"Ready?" Hajime asks as they approach. 

"I want to hold it in my hands," Tooru tells him. 

"I don't think you can physically hold lightning," Hajime laughs, but Tooru reaches his hand out anyway, his fingers touching the edge of the bolt before it disappears. 

There isn't anything solid to touch, but the energy flows into Tooru as if it's been waiting for him. His fingertips tingle, and then the rest of his body follows suit as the magic rushes through him. 

"Iwa-chan," he calls. "Can you feel that too?" 

"Yeah." Hajime sounds breathless. 

Tooru touches his hand to Hajime's scales, frowning a little. He can only feel his own magic.

"Your magic," Hajime says, "is overpowering mine right now. I don't have a limit to my magic, Oikawa. I'm _made_ of it, and you're still overpowering that." 

"Oh." Tooru glances around them, and freezes up. "…Iwa-chan."

They're suspended in the air, suspended in time. It's as if there's a bubble around them and everything else outside of it has frozen. Tooru can see each individual raindrop, spherical and motionless. He can see the beginnings of a spark in a nearby cloud. He can see everything from one exact moment in time.

"You stopped time," Hajime realises. In their little pocket of time, he still has to flap his wings on occasion to keep them in the air. It feels a little surreal. All of this feels surreal. "You've never done that before." 

"I didn't know I could," Tooru replies. "I did it without even thinking."

"Like that time when you fell," Hajime murmurs. "You cast that spell on yourself without even realising then, too. You're so amazing, Oikawa."

Tooru smiles, stroking his hand along Hajime's scales, just for the contact. "I couldn't have done this without you, Iwa-chan. You know that. We make a good team."

Hajime lets out a low, pleased rumble. "Yeah. We really do."

 

 

* * *

 

 

They spend the entire summer chasing storms. Tooru knew he would hooked after the first time, but he's glad that Hajime enjoys it just as much.

Summers in Miyagi are always muggy and humid. It's the perfect weather for storms and they barely leave each other's sides for weeks at a time. There's no point in trying to avoid Hajime when it doesn't do anything to stop the way Tooru feels about him. It only results in both of them feeling miserable, and Tooru doesn't see the point in that. He'll accept the feelings for what they are: he's a little in love with his best friend, and it doesn't matter if those feelings aren't returned. They're not going anywhere. 

Besides, chasing storms is more important to Tooru anyway.

After spending so much time together, sharing magic, sharing the same adrenaline rush of flying through storms, Tooru thinks that they've grown even closer. He's begun to notice the way Hajime will touch him more often, casually resting a hand on his back, or stroking his hair when they're sitting together. Tooru doesn't think Hajime even realises that he's doing it and tries not to read into it too deeply, choosing to just enjoy it for what it is.

He knows that their friends notice it too, from the way Issei and Takahiro raise their eyebrows when Hajime absently pulls Tooru to lean against him when they're sitting together, or the way he leans in to say something. Kaneo watches on with a small, concerned frown, but doesn't say anything. Tooru desperately wants to ask what he's so worried about, but doesn't know how to bring it up and doesn't even know if he wants to.

The storms die out in the middle of autumn, and they've chased and caught so many that Tooru can feel the effects of it. His capacity for magical energy has grown; catching lightning no longer feels quite so overwhelming, and Tooru can't help but wonder how much it can continue to grow. 

As the weather gets colder, Hajime spends more time at Tooru's house. He's been in Tooru's room so often that he's perfectly at ease there. Tooru loves it. They sprawl out across the floor together to do their homework, or watch something together, or just enjoy being in each other's presence. Tooru wants to have as much of that as he can before Hajime has to leave for the winter.

"I can't believe you're going to be flying in storms without me," Tooru complains the afternoon before Hajime leaves. They're both lying on their backs on his bedroom floor, side by side. "I have to wait for more than half a year, but you're going to get storms while you fly south, and then when you fly back. I'm so jealous."

Hajime snorts quietly, nudging Tooru with his foot. "It's not going to be half as fun without you. I won't get to feel your magic. I'm going to miss that. I'm going to miss you."

"How embarrassing," Tooru teases, rolling onto his side and propping his head up with a hand.

"You're going to miss me too," Hajime murmurs, mirroring Tooru with a small grin. "I still remember how much you cried the first time you saw me off when I had to fly south."

"Shut up, I was a kid." Tooru pokes Hajime in the side, laughing. "I remember you crying too."

Hajime takes hold of Tooru's hand, his grip firm. He strokes his thumb across the back of Tooru's hand and sighs softly. "You know, no matter how many years it's been, three months always feels like such a long time. I thought I'd get used to it."

"Me too," Tooru replies softly. "It doesn't matter how old we get, or how many other friends I see while you're away. It still feels like forever." 

"I just…" Hajime pulls Tooru closer, wrapping an arm around him. "I hate it when we're apart for so long."

Tooru laughs, the sound muffled against Hajime's shirt. These moments are always saved for late autumn and early spring, when the time they have to spend apart makes them more honest, more affectionate. Tooru feels a little guilty, wondering if he's taking advantage of the situation, but then he thinks he feels Hajime pressing a kiss to the top of his head, and his heart skips a beat. 

He's about to look up and figure out if it was real or imagined, but Tooru's mother chooses that moment to call up the stairs, telling them that she's brewed tea for them. 

Hajime pulls away from Tooru immediately, not meeting his eyes. The tips of Hajime's ears are burning red and Tooru blinks, trying to figure out what to say. Hajime is already on his way out of the room. 

"I should go soon," he mumbles, at the bottom of the stairs. He still isn't meeting Tooru's eyes. "You know. To get ready for tomorrow."

"Already?" Tooru asks, feeling his heart sink. "Iwa-chan—" 

"It's a long flight," Hajime replies, looking at Tooru before quickly looking away. "Akane's with Hatake, so it's just me and my parents this time. It's going to be different with three dragons instead of four. I have to go." 

"Iwa-chan," Tooru says again, reaching out and grabbing him by the wrist to stop him. He feels Hajime tensing up under his touch and wishes he knew what to say. He wants to figure this out right now, but it's not the time or place for it with his mother in the next room, close enough to hear everything. He lets go with a sigh, taking a step back to give Hajime some space. "I'll see you tomorrow in the forest, then. I hope you rest well." 

Hajime hesitates at the door, like he doesn't really want to leave, but then the moment passes and he's gone. Tooru stands there, holding the door open, frustrated at himself and frustrated with Hajime too.

He knows that they're not going to have the time to talk about it tomorrow before Hajime has to leave. They're going to have to wait until Hajime comes back and Tooru isn't even sure how they'll feel by then. 

"Tooru," his mother says, squeezing his shoulder and shutting the door for him. "Come on. Let's not waste this tea. Besides, I was wondering if you could use your magic to help me with a few things around the house."

He smiles at her, knowing that it's just a way to distract him. He appreciates it all the same.

His goodbye to Hajime the next morning is as difficult as always, made worse by the fact that Hajime is reluctant to even touch him. Tooru wants to pull him close, to kiss him _properly_ , but he can't. He gives Hajime a tight smile, punching him in the shoulder gently.

"You'd better not chase any storms without me," Tooru tells him. "Wait until you come home, okay? Fly safe. I'll see you when you get back."

"Yeah." Hajime smiles at him, touching his knuckles to Tooru's before he turns to leave.

Tooru's heart is heavy with disappointment as he watches Hajime fly off. He isn't used to feeling this, and he wonders if it's going to stay with him for the entire winter. 

He turns around when he hears footsteps behind him, blinking in surprise when sees Issei walking up the dirt path towards the clearing.

"Hey," Issei greets with a nod. "I thought I'd find you here but I didn't want to intrude."

"It's fine." Tooru smiles. "He's gone now."

With a sigh, Issei steps closer, ruffling Tooru's hair. "You know that smile only makes you look more miserable, right? Cut it out."

Letting his shoulders slump, Tooru looks up at the sky. "I don't want to talk about this, Mattsun."

"I won't make you, then," he replies. "Just… maybe talk to _him_ about it when he gets back, yeah?"

Tooru looks away. "I don't know if that's a good idea. I don't want to complicate things."

"It's your call," Issei tells Tooru, patting him on the back. "Anyway, Hanamaki, Yuda and I were going out for lunch together. Come with us."

His friends are good to him, making sure not to leave him alone with his thoughts. There's homework to do and exams to study for through the winter, and while that's enough to keep Tooru busy, his friends are there to make sure that he has company too. Even though Tooru and Hajime have been spending more time together while chasing storms, they spend the rest of their time with their other friends too. Tooru is glad that they're all still just as close as ever.

The winter still passes slowly. The rainy days make Tooru miss Hajime more, even though it doesn't storm. As much as it might rain, it doesn't usually storm during the winter.

Not until it does, towards the end of winter. 

Tooru isn't expecting it, assuming that the dark clouds signal another bout of rain and nothing more. He's walking home from school when he sees the first flash of lightning in the distance, and it makes him freeze in his tracks. 

It's too far away for him to the feel the electricity in the air, but Tooru knows that he can fix that. He turns in the direction of the train station, pulling his phone out and texting his mother to let her know that he'll be home late. 

She immediately replies, telling him to be careful. She doesn't specify beyond that, but Tooru knows that she's figured out what he's planning on doing. 

He gets on the train, watching the storm through the window. He's gotten better at understanding the way that they move after chasing so many of them. Following it on the train might not be as exciting or as fast as flying after it, but it's better than nothing. 

It's raining heavily by the time Tooru gets off the train, and he can feel the electricity in the air now, turning itself into magical energy as he walks. He texts his mother again, letting her know which train station he's at, then breaks into a run. 

He's never caught lightning this close to the ground before. Usually, he and Hajime fly high enough to be covered by the clouds. It's different down here. It's not as easy to move in a straight direction towards the storm. He isn't familiar with this part of the city and he wanders down streets, doubling back when he's met with dead ends, until he reaches a park. 

He can tell that he's close. He can already feel himself filling with magic. There's still room for much more. 

The next flash of lightning is close, making Tooru shiver. He wonders if he can use his magic to bring it closer, to turn himself into a lightning rod. He thinks back to his science lessons, to all the materials he knows to be good conductors of electricity. There are several tall office buildings nearby, their lightning rods much closer to the sky. He pours more of his magic into it and when he sees the beginnings of the next lightning strike, he's certain that it's going to work.

He might be much closer to the ground that he usually is during a storm, but the lightning travels so quickly that it doesn't make a difference. It hits Tooru, and for a moment, he can't see anything but a burst of light. 

He doesn't have Hajime with him this time to share his magic with. His eyes widen in alarm as he realises that he's filling up with magic much too quickly. It goes from uncomfortable to overwhelming in the blink of an eye, and Tooru tries to release as much of it as he can, but there's still more of it coming in without pause. The electricity might not hurt, but Tooru's head is pounding, he can feel his body trembling, his vision blurring. 

The last thing he remembers, before everything goes black, is the feeling of collapsing onto his side.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry to keep everyone waiting between chapters, especially with the cliffhanger that the last one ended on!

Tooru wakes to a constant beeping. He frowns, his eyelids feeling too heavy to open. His entire body feels too heavy, and too sore, to do anything. 

"Tooru?" His mother's voice sounds shaky, and that makes him open his eyes immediately.

He regrets it. The light is so blinding that he shuts his eyes again with a gasp. He can feel his mother's hand stroking through his hair. He opens his eyes slower this time, letting them adjust to the light.

He doesn't know where he is. He's lying on a bed with his mother sitting in a chair beside him. She looks exhausted. Her hair is tied into a messy ponytail, loose strands falling into her face, and there are bags under her eyes. She's teary, even as she smiles at him, stroking his cheek.

"I'm so glad you're awake."

He smiles at her, covering her hand with his. It's then that he notices that there's a pulse oximeter clipped to his finger and that he's hooked up to an IV drip. He looks around at the monitoring equipment set up against the wall and looks back to his mother. "Where am I?"

She takes his hand into her own, squeezing gently. "What do you remember, Tooru?"

Frowning, he thinks back. "…Oh. The storm. I was chasing it, wasn't I? I wanted to be near it, even though Iwa-chan wasn't with me. I… I tried catching it. There was so much magic, I didn't know what to do with all of it. After that I… don't remember anything else. I'm sorry. I worried you, didn't I?"

"Tooru," his mother sighs, massaging her temples with her free hand. "You have no idea."

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"So much trouble," she replies, pinching his cheek. She still looks too relieved to yell at him, but she pulls away for a moment. Leaning back in her seat, she wipes at the corner of her eye. "I spoke to one of the ladies who saw it happen. She was there when you were struck by lightning. She saw a big flash of light and then suddenly, it was like everything around you stopped. Your magic made a bubble around yourself and stopped time. Just like you told me you did after the first time you caught lightning. Only this time, you weren't awake to dispel it. It took the magical emergency staff a long time to break through it before they could actually check on you. It was… terrifying, Tooru. I was there, watching them try. We didn't know what was happening to you in the time that we couldn't get to you. I only knew you were alive because the spell was still holding. Aside from that, you were passed out and it looked like… like you were…"

"Kaa-chan." Tooru sits up, wincing with pain. He wraps his arms around his mother anyway, hugging her tightly. "I'm so sorry. I was being selfish and just thinking about myself and what I wanted to do again. This is like that time I fought with Iwa-chan when—oh. Iwa-chan."

His blood runs cold at the thought of Hajime finding out about this. His mother gives him a knowing look, and he turns away guiltily. 

"If Iwa-chan finds out about this, he's going to—he's probably going to _kill_ me."

"Tooru…" his mother begins, reaching for his hand again. "When they managed to undo the spell and bring you here to the hospital, you were still passed out. You've been unconscious for days." 

"No." Tooru's heart sinks. "Please don't tell me—"

"Aunty," a familiar voice says as the door to Tooru's room opens. "I bought you a bottle of water. How is he—"

Hajime freezes when he sees Tooru sitting up in bed. His grip on the bottle tightens, his expression going dark. 

"I'll take that, thank you Hajime-kun," Tooru's mother says, getting to her feet. She pats him on the shoulder on her way past before looking back at Tooru. "I'll find one of the nurses and let them know that you're awake." 

Tooru nods, not taking his eyes off Hajime, not even daring to breathe until she shuts the door behind her. 

"Iwa-chan—"

"Shut up," Hajime interrupts. He's balled his hands into fists, and he's trembling. 

Tooru thinks back to the last time Hajime was this angry with him, and it fills him with dread. He doesn't want to go through that again. He doesn't want to know how much worse it's going to be this time. 

"Do you have any idea how worried your family has been?" Hajime asks quietly, walking towards the bed. "You've been out for _four days_ , Oikawa. You weren't waking up, and nobody knew if you _would_." 

Hajime's voice cracks over the last word. He sits down heavily in the chair beside Tooru's bed, resting his forehead against the bed. Tooru's stomach drops out as he realises that Hajime is trembling because he's crying. 

"Iwa-chan," Tooru whispers, feeling his eyes sting. He reaches out, stroking his fingers through Hajime's hair. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry everyone. I was being selfish again. I'm still not any better than I was last time. I'm really sorry."

Hajime shakes his head. He pulls back, like he's going to say something, but the only thing that comes out is a sob. He wipes at his eyes with the back of his hand. "I came home two days ago and you weren't there to meet me in the forest. I knew something was wrong. I went to your house but no one was there. Yuda found me. He told me what happened. That you were in the hospital. He didn't know why, but _I did_. I knew exactly what you did, you dumbass."

"I'm sorry—"

"Your mother hasn't left your side since you came to hospital. She told me everything she knew when I got here. Before that, though, I thought you were… I didn't know what would happen, I didn't know how you'd deal with being overloaded like that and I thought you were—"

"I'm not dead, Iwa-chan," Tooru says firmly, and Hajime flinches at the word. "I'm here. I'm okay." 

"I fucking hate you, you shitty bastard," Hajime spits out, pulling Tooru into a crushing hug. "You scared me. Don't ever do that again." 

"I'm sorry," Tooru repeats. He wraps his arms around Hajime in return. 

Hajime presses his face into the curve of Tooru's neck, his cheeks still wet with tears. Tooru sighs shakily, stroking Hajime's hair again, shutting his eyes. 

"I'm meant to keep you safe," Hajime tells him, his hands resting on Tooru's sides. His breath is warm against Tooru's clavicle, exposed with the low neck of his hospital gown. "Don't go running off on your own like that." 

"I got impatient," Tooru admits with a small, shaky laugh. "I missed you. I missed chasing storms." 

"It's not funny." Hajime's frowning as he pulls back. He strokes Tooru's hair, pushing it out of his eyes. "I can't lose you, Tooru." 

Tooru's breath catches in his throat, but before he can reply, the door opens again. Instead of his mother, he sees a nurse come in with a clipboard. She smiles at him and then at Hajime.

"Ah, Iwaizumi-kun. You must be so relieved." She pats him on the back. "You can stay here if you'd like. Oikawa-kun, your mother is calling your father, and the rest of your family. I'm just going to do a quick check up on you and then the doctor should be here to talk to you soon." 

He nods, letting her poke and prod at him until she's satisfied that his physical condition is as it should be. The heaviness he feels is from being unconscious for so long, she tells him. She gives him a few stretching exercises to do, and Hajime promises that he'll make sure Tooru does them.

The doctor, when she walks in, looks more grim. She wastes no time in telling Tooru that he's been incredibly reckless. He wilts under her frown, surprised when Hajime takes his hand halfway through for silent support. 

"As I'm sure you've gathered, you were overwhelmed by too much magical energy," she tells him. "As a result, your body seems to have shut itself off as a way to cope with having too much stimulus. It took a few days for you to regain your consciousness. I'm afraid it will take longer for your magic." 

"What?" Tooru asks sharply, and Hajime's grip on his hand tightens. "My magic is…?"

"It's only temporary," the doctor tells him. "Fortunately for you, we _have_ had precedents of this situation. Even if none of them have been quite as unique as yours, with the lightning source and the temporal magic. Your magic should return within a few days, but it might not be an easy process. Your body still remembers being overloaded. It's going to shy away from your magic source for a while. With yours being what it is, I would recommend that you don't force things."

"I'll make sure he doesn't," Hajime speaks up. He looks at Tooru this time, holding his gaze as he says, "We'll take it slow."

Tooru nods in reply. There's nothing else he can do anyway. 

"You'll be discharged this afternoon," the doctor tells him. "I've made an appointment for next week so I can see how you're recovering. We'll go from there." 

"Thank you," Tooru replies, bowing politely. 

"I chewed Yuda out for not keeping you away from the storm," Hajime mutters. "When I see Hanamaki and Matsukawa, I'm gonna—"

"No you're not," Tooru cuts in. "And you're going to apologise to Yudacchi. It's not their responsibility. They're not my minders, Iwa-chan. Neither are you. I'm the one who did this. It's my fault. If you're going to chew someone out about this, then go ahead and yell at me."

Hajime takes a deep breath, but instead of yelling like Tooru expects, he sighs loudly. He pulls Tooru into another tight hug and doesn't let go for a long time.

"I'm glad you're okay, Oikawa. You're never going to get hurt like this again. I promise."

It's not something that Hajime can promise, and Tooru knows it. 

He also knows better than to point it out at this moment. Instead, he just shuts his eyes and lets Hajime hold him, feeling grateful for the fact that he even wants to. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Hajime stays with Tooru until it's time to leave the hospital. He waits outside the hospital room while Tooru changes out of his hospital gown. Tooru's mother has brought some clothes from home, and she leaves them on Tooru's bed with a warm smile.

"I'll be outside with Hajime-kun, okay?"

Tooru nods, waiting until she's gone before he picks the clothes up. He sighs with relief when she sees that he's brought pants for him instead of shorts.

There's a mark on his right leg where he first hit the ground when he passed out from being overloaded. The doctor's best guess is that it's where his magic let itself out, leaving a pale scar shaped like lightning, criss-crossing over the skin of his leg from mid-thigh down to the middle of his shin.

It's probably too pale for most people to see unless it's pointed out, but Tooru remembers Hajime's reaction clearly. He remembers the way Hajime's eyes went wide, the way his jaw tensed up, the way he traced the scar with a finger, touching Tooru like he might break.

None of it sits well with Tooru at all. He shakes his head, like he can forcefully get rid of the thought. He doesn't want Hajime to look at him like that again.

"Ready to go?" Tooru's mother asks, once he's done. She smiles when he nods, leading the way down the hall.

Hajime falls into step with Tooru, the way he has countless times before, but something feels different about it now. His shoulders are squared, his jaw is set, and he looks determined. Tooru wants to ask but he's afraid to, in case it's just because Hajime is preparing to yell at him. They haven't argued about what happened yet, but Tooru can't help but feel that it's coming. He isn't looking forward to it, when he still remembers how bad it was last time. He can't even begin to imagine how much worse it can get.

"Can I stay for a while?" Hajime asks, once they reach Tooru's house. He's looking at Tooru's mother. "I don't want to leave just yet, Aunty. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is," she replies, patting him on the shoulder. "Stay for as long as you'd like. I'll cook extra for dinner."

Tooru is silent until they get upstairs to his room. His school bag is sitting against the wall, and his uniform is in its usual hanger. His parents must have taken them home while Tooru was still in the hospital.

"Hey," Hajime says softly, resting his hand on Tooru's back. It makes Tooru stiffen, turning around, and Hajime frowns at him. "You're acting weird, Oikawa."

"Am I?" Tooru asks, giving Hajime his most convincing smile.

"Don't give me that," Hajime grumbles, stepping closer. He lowers his voice, holding Tooru's gaze. "I'm not expecting you to be fine after everything that happened, but at least talk to me about it. Are you worried about your magic? Is that it?"

"I _am_ worried about it," Tooru admits with a frown, "but that's not it, I don't think. It's just… Iwa-chan, when are you going to yell at me?"

Hajime blinks with surprise, taking half a step backwards. "Do you want me to?"

Tooru looks away. "Don't you want to?"

"Maybe," Hajime sighs. "I don't know. This is complicated. But I mean, you were talking about how jealous you were that I'd get to fly through storms and then you did this. You know that one of the reasons I'm okay with chasing storms with you is because I'm there to keep you safe, but I wasn't this time. I hate going away without you as it is, but you doing something like this when I'm not around kind of makes it worse, you know."

"I'm sorry," Tooru murmurs. "I wasn't thinking about anyone except myself. Again. I'm still as selfish as I was last time, at Kitagawa Daiichi. I haven't learned anything, have I? I haven't grown at all."

"Is that what this is about?" Hajime asks with a sigh. He reaches for Tooru, taking hold of his wrist. He tugs gently, until Tooru meets his gaze. "You're expecting me to get angry with you like I did back then."

"Or worse," Tooru replies. "I think what I did this time was even worse than back then."

"There's a difference," Hajime says. He's still holding onto Tooru's wrist, squeezing gently. It's comforting. "Back then, you didn't think you did anything wrong. You really didn't think about things from anyone else's perspective. If you were saying that you didn't do anything wrong this time, it would be a completely different story."

"I worried everyone," Tooru says miserably.

"You really did." Hajime pulls Tooru closer, resting their foreheads together. "Everyone is so glad that you're out of the hospital. I'm so glad you're okay."

"Iwa-chan." Tooru can hear the tremble in his voice. He feels Hajime lean in more than he sees it. He pulls back, the tremble making its way to his hands. "…Iwa-chan, not like this."

Hajime looks up, directly into Tooru's eyes. It's incredibly tempting to give in. Tooru feels like they've been on this path for so long, that it was inevitable that they'd end up right here. Still, he strengthens his resolve, taking a small step backwards to put some distance between them.

"Oikawa…"

"I don't want you to do this because you're relieved I'm okay," Tooru says firmly.

"I came home," Hajime murmurs, "and you were in hospital. It didn't look like you were going to wake up. I wondered if I lost my chance entirely. I was too afraid to say anything before I left and I regretted it so much while I was gone, and then even more when I came back."

Taking a deep breath, Tooru meets Hajime's eyes and smiles. "I don't want you to kiss me because you regret not doing it before, either. You don't have to rush, Iwa-chan. I have to get my magic back. I have to make up for worrying everyone. With those things on my mind, I can't give my full attention to anything else. Some things deserve my full attention before I can get to them. You deserve my full attention. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah." Hajime nods. "I'll be here, okay? Whatever I can do to help, I'll do it. Not because I'm rushing you. I just want to help you. Let me take care of you."

"You don't have to do that." Tooru shakes his head. "You're not my keeper or anything like that. You're my friend."

"Yeah," Hajime says softly, but he sounds unconvinced. "Okay."

He stays for dinner and by the time they get back to Tooru's room afterwards, Hajime looks more relaxed. Tooru spreads his futon out so that he can lie down on it, pleased when Hajime settles down beside him.

Perhaps their proximity should feel strange, after they almost kissed. Tooru is certain that before Hajime left, they both would have reacted to it differently. Being struck by lightning seems to have changed more than Tooru first thought it would. Then again, maybe it's just that Tooru feels calmer about it now that he knows that whatever has been changing between him and Hajime will eventually be addressed, just not right now.

Most of all, he's glad that he and Hajime appear to be on the same page about this too. 

"So," Tooru grins at him. "Are you going to tell me what you got up to while you were away? How are your friends? How's your family? I haven't even gotten to see them yet."

"They're good," Hajime replies. "Akane and Hatake have worked things out and they're living together now. Tokyo's too crowded for Akane, but they've moved to Kanagawa instead."

"I'm so glad they worked it out," Tooru beams. "Are they going to get married? What's a dragon wedding like, anyway?"

"We don't really get married." Hajime shrugs. "That's not really a big deal for us. If dragons like each other enough to share a space and share their resources, that's usually enough of a sign that they're important to each other."

"Is that why you hate sharing?" Tooru asks. "Whenever people ask if they can borrow your things, you get this constipated look on your face."

Hajime kicks him. "What the hell are you talking about? You use my stuff all the time."

"I'm different, though," Tooru says without thought, until it actually hits him. He sits up, turning to Hajime.

"You're overthinking it," Hajime mumbles, covering his face with a hand. "I'm part human. In case I need you remind you that, while I'm in human form right now. Humans share. Ever since I met you for the first time, I've been acting more human. Akane thinks it's hilarious. Besides, you're not the only person I share with. Yuda, Hanamaki and Matsukawa too. I don't really have a problem with it as long as I trust the person to give me my stuff back."

"Oh," Tooru replies, unsure if he's relieved or jealous.

"You know," Hajime says, looking over at him. "Ever since you woke up, it's like you've been more honest. Or easier to read, anyway."

Tooru laughs to cover up his embarrassment. "Maybe I should get struck by lightning more, then."

With a growl, Hajime tackles Tooru, pinning him down to the floor. "Don't you fucking dare."

"Whoa, Iwa-chan." Tooru feels winded. "It was a joke."

"It wasn't funny." Hajime's voice is low and angry. "Don't."

"I'm sorry," Tooru says softly. "I didn't mean to upset you. That wasn't my intention at all."

"I know," Hajime sighs, sitting up so that Tooru can do the same. "But you can't expect me to laugh along, okay? Not when you were still unconscious this morning."

"I'm sorry," Tooru murmurs. "I'm going to be saying that a lot, aren't I?"

Running a hand through his hair, Hajime looks away. "I don't want you to feel like that's something you have to do. Just… don't do anything like this again, okay? I don't think I could deal with it."

"I won't," Tooru promises. He reaches for Hajime, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and leaning into his side. "I'm never going to make you—or anyone else—worry about me ever again."

"Dumbass," Hajime huffs out. "You don't have to go that far. As long as you don't put yourself in danger again. That's all anyone wants."

Tooru sighs. "Okay. This means that you're not going to yell at Makki and Mattsun and Yudacchi, right? Because what happened wasn't their fault. If you want to yell at someone, you can yell at me."

"I'm not going to yell at anyone," Hajime replies. "But I messaged them to let them know that you're home. They're looking forward to seeing you at school tomorrow."

"And you too, I bet," Tooru says. "Kaa-chan told me that you've been at the hospital since you got home. Silly Iwa-chan. You should have gone to school. You must have been bored."

"If I went to school, I wouldn't have been able to concentrate on anything, so there wouldn't have been any point." Hajime shrugs. "I would have just worried about you the entire time. Even my parents knew that."

Tooru sucks in a deep breath, having to look away just so that he doesn't end up kissing Hajime right there. "You're ridiculous."

Hajime laughs softly. "Like you can talk."

Lying down on his futon again, Tooru sprawls his limbs out and yawns. "You'd think that I wouldn't be so tired when I've been sleeping for the past four days."

"You still need rest," Hajime says gently, pulling the blankets over Tooru and tucking him in. "Go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"You'll walk to school with me, right?" Tooru asks sleepily.

"I always do," Hajime reminds him, stroking his fingers through Tooru's hair before getting up to leave. "Sleep well, Tooru."

The use of his given name has Tooru blinking his eyes open again, but Hajime is already at the door, turning the lights off as he leaves. Tooru, too tired to keep his eyes open for longer, shuts them again and goes to sleep, deciding he'll think about it later. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Hajime is there the next morning, waiting for Tooru in front of his house. Tooru smiles at him, bumping their shoulders together before they start walking.

It's a relief that Hajime isn't angry with him; Tooru spent most of the night worrying that it would be a delayed reaction, that despite his assurances, Hajime would wake up too furious to be able to even look Tooru in the eye.

Tooru can't help but feel that he'd deserve it. The guilt sits heavily in his chest and it makes everything feel different, even as they walk to school together. Hajime is by his side, though, and Tooru tries to tell himself that it's all that matters.

Takahiro, Issei, and Kaneo are standing in front of the school gates, clearly waiting for them. Tooru gives them a small smile, surprised when the three of them immediately throw their arms around him in a crushing hug.

"I'm glad you're okay," Takahiro tells him.

"I was so terrified," Kaneo adds.

"Don't do that again," Issei says, resting his hand on top of Tooru's head and looking right into his eyes. "Seriously, Oikawa. Don't, okay?"

Tooru lowers his head, bowing apologetically to all four of his friends. "I'm sorry―"

"Dumbass," Hajime mutters, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him back up. "Don't do that either. Lets just… I don't know. It's over. Let's put it behind us and move on, okay?"

Tooru looks at him, but Hajime doesn't meet his gaze, frowning off to the side. He looks troubled, not angry, and Tooru reaches out, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not going to worry you like that again," Tooru promises. "I mean it."

"I know that," Hajime says gently, patting Tooru's hand with his own. "I know you won't."

When they walk towards their homerooms, Tooru is ambushed by students from all grades who have heard what happened and want more information. Hajime stays by Tooru's side, shouldering his way through the crowds and pulling Tooru along.

"So rude, Iwa-chan," Tooru says lightly once they're in his homeroom. "You're not helping your unpopularity at all. Everyone's going to think that you're a gorilla without manners."

"I don't care." Hajime says plainly. "I don't care about them. I care about you. I care about making sure you don't get bothered by people when you're just trying to walk from one place to another." 

"Iwa-chan…" 

With a frown, Hajime places a hand on Tooru's back. "Right now, you need to worry about yourself, okay? You don't need distractions, when you have so many things to deal with already. I know that you'll talk to everyone for as much as they want, because you don't want to turn them away. Just focus on yourself, okay?" 

Tooru laughs, leaning into Hajime's side. "You say it like I can't just politely ask people to leave on my own. I'm glad that you're looking out for me, but you don't have to go that far. I don't want you to treat me any differently because of what happened, but I don't want you to treat anyone _else_ differently because of it either. Just act the same as always, okay? That's all I want."

Reaching out to stroke his fingers through Tooru's hair, Hajime sighs. "I'm trying, but…"

"Stop worrying about everything," Tooru tells him, leaning into Hajime's touch. "It's going to be fine, okay?"

"How can you say that?" Hajime asks, lowering his voice. "You don't have your magic any more. I thought that it would be a bigger deal to you, but you're just continuing as if everything's normal and I don't know what to do with that." 

"Just do this," Tooru says, taking Hajime by the hand and squeezing hard. "Please just act like things are normal until I figure out what I'm going to do, because if you don't, then I'm going to start thinking about it and all I have right now are problems with no solutions and I can't deal with that, Iwa-chan. I need you to help me feel like things are still okay. Can you do that?" 

"Of course," Hajime murmurs, wrapping his arm around Tooru's shoulders and pulling him in tighter. "Anything you need." 

Someone clears their throat at the door, and they both pull apart, looking over their shoulders to see Takahiro, Issei, and Kaneo standing at the door. 

"Are we interrupting something?" Takahiro asks, raising an eyebrow at them. "You sure pushed your way through that crowd quickly."

"Iwa-chan was just trying to help," Tooru replies, smiling at them. He squeezes Hajime's hand before letting go. "He didn't want me to feel overwhelmed. He's being a worrywart, as always." 

"Are you, though?" Issei asks. "Overwhelmed? You've been through a lot."

"I'm—" Tooru hesitates over the _fine_. He feels Hajime tense beside him. With a deep breath, he meets his friends' eyes and gives them a small shrug. "I'm trying to tell myself that I'm fine. It's mostly working. I… don't have my magic for now, because my body got overloaded when I was struck by lightning and kind of shut itself off to any more. It's going to come back after a while, but I don't know how long it's going to be, or what I need to do to get it back faster." 

" _Gone_?" Kaneo asks, his eyes going wide. "Can your magic do that?"

"It works differently to yours," Issei explains, sitting on the edge of one of the desks. "You have constant access to magic because it's a part of you. For us, it's kind of like magic that we use. We can borrow it and we can store it, but it's not actually ours." 

"So right now, I can't store any of it," Tooru adds, "because after what happened, my body's decided that it's had enough and doesn't want any more. If I can't store it, I can't use it." 

"It would help if we could find a way to just store magic, right?" Takahiro muses. "We're not very good at getting magic from each other, but if we could just find a way to contain the energy for when we need it, that could make things a lot easier for you." 

"Why don't we try it?" Issei asks. "I don't know exactly how, but we'll try figuring it out. It might take a while, but at least it gives us something to do to help you, Oikawa. It's better than nothing." 

"You'd do that?" Tooru asks. "For me?"

Hajime smacks him gently on the back of the head. "You don't even need to ask that, dumbass. We'll do anything we can to help. We're your friends."

Tooru smiles at all of them. "You're the best."

"I'm going to start thinking about ways we can do it," Takahiro says, rubbing his chin. "I don't really know what kind of form magical energy can take when it's not already stored inside someone. Or where we'd get it from, considering that everyone gets their magic from different sources."

"Maybe it depends on who's collecting it," Issei replies. "We'd have to find a way to match it to the way whoever's collecting it usually gets their magic."

"What about for us?" Hajime asks, gesturing to himself and Kaneo. "We don't usually have to collect magic. Maybe we can find a way to transfer it?" 

"We'll try it out," Issei decides. "That's the only way we're going to find out anyway, right? We'll experiment."

"As long as you don't hurt yourselves or anything," Tooru tells them. "I don't know what I can do to help when I don't have any magic, but I'll do whatever I can. Don't push yourselves for my sake."

"Seriously, Oikawa?" Takahiro laughs, reaching over and ruffling his hair. "Like you can talk." 

"You know a lot about magic," Issei adds, grinning at him. "I'm sure we'll find something for you to do."

"Yeah." Hajime rests his hand on Tooru's back and it's comfortingly grounding. "We're not going to leave you behind, you know."

In fact, Hajime doesn't leave Tooru's side at all until class begins, and then he's back again during their breaks. He's a constant presence by Tooru's side, as much as he can possibly be when they spend the majority of their school day in two separate rooms.

Tooru can tell that he isn't doing it on purpose, so he tries not to let it bother him. It makes sense for Hajime to want to keep an eye on him, after all. Tooru doesn't really think that he can begrudge his best friend for that.

He isn't the only one who notices it, though.

Tooru isn't attending magic classes after school until he gets his magic back. Issei, through an incredibly convincing appeal to Irihata-sensei, has managed to get Takahiro and himself out of classes too, so they can focus on finding a way to store magic and hopefully help Tooru get his back.

"You're a _genius_ , Matsukawa," Takahiro laughs, the five of them walking out of the school gate together. "You could probably convince anyone to do anything. Like getting Yuda to swim. Or convincing Iwaizumi to part with his dragon hoard."

"I don't have a dragon hoard," Hajime grumbles from beside Tooru.

"He's just bad at sharing instead," Tooru speaks up cheerfully.

"I can see that," Issei mutters, quiet enough that Tooru is the only one who hears.

They exchange glances before Tooru presses his lips into a thin line and looks away. It always feels like Issei knows far too much.

It's clear that Issei wants to talk to him without Hajime around, but that feels nearly impossible to manage. Takahiro seems to catch on, though, because he pulls Hajime and Kaneo aside to discuss his ideas for how they can experiment with capturing magic in a form that be stored or passed between people. 

Issei takes his chance, falling into step with Tooru while Hajime is distracted and then slowing their pace so they end up walking a little behind the others.

"Something happened between the two of you." Issei doesn't make it a question. "I kind of expected it, after what happened to you."

Tooru shakes his head. "That's exactly why there's nothing going on between us. That's not how I want it to happen."

Issei hums thoughtfully, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Do you really think you can control that, though? I mean… whatever it is that we walked in on this morning, it definitely didn't look like _nothing_."

This entire thing with Hajime is complicated enough to wrap his own head around. Having to put it into words for someone else feels impossible. Tooru frowns as he tries to anyway, running a hand through his hair. "It's obvious that we're important to each other, but I can't just try and figure things out with him when I have so much else to take care of at the same time. He's too important for that."

"That's a nice thought," Issei allows, nodding. "I just don't think it's realistic. I'm not sure you can just ignore your feelings, or put them on hold, once you've acknowledged them in the first place. I mean… you've seen Iwaizumi all of today, right? He hasn't left you alone for anything except for class and even that looked like it was a struggle."

"That's just because he's feeling protective. It'll stop once he realises that I'm not going to do something so dangerous again."

Issei doesn't look very convinced, and it makes Tooru feel a little uneasy. Issei must notice, because he pats Tooru on the shoulder.

"Look, maybe I'm just coming at it from the worst case scenario. You might end up proving me wrong. You're good at doing that to people, after all. You're full of surprises." 

Tooru smiles at that. "I am, for better or worse."

"I'll let you get back to Iwaizumi before he starts getting antsy," Issei says, patting him on the shoulder. "It's fine if it's not bothering you but if it _does_ … say something, okay? If not to him, then to us. We'll work something out."

"Yeah," Tooru replies softly as they pick up their pace, joining the others again. It's easy to fall into step with Hajime again because it feels like he's been doing it all his life.

Hajime looks over at him with a warm smile, like Tooru's right back where he should be. It makes a surge of warmth run through Tooru, and he can't help but smile back. 

It's not all bad, he thinks to himself as their arms brush against each other while they walk. Perhaps he's just worried for nothing. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning at school, Takahiro looks incredibly excited as he walks into Tooru's homeroom. It's enough to let Tooru momentarily forget the fact that his desk feels a little overcrowded with Hajime, Issei and Kaneo standing around it.

"I'm a genius," Takahiro declares as he stops in front of them, spreading his arms out in a _ta-da_ gesture.

"You thought you could make a spell to give you infinite cream puffs yesterday," Issei points out, "but continue."

"Okay first of all, you're just jealous of my innovation. It would have been the best thing in the world if it worked."

"Infinite milk bread," Tooru hums to himself in understanding. "I see. Go on."

"Infinite cavities," Hajime grumbles, gently flicking Tooru's forehead.

Takahiro laughs. "It's actually more about what we were discussing yesterday. There's something I want to try out. Matsukawa, I'm going to need your help. And… uh, Yuda. Both of you?"

"What about me?" Tooru asks. "Can I help too?"

"Not yet," Takahiro shakes his head. "I was thinking about Matsukawa—"

"—I'm flattered—"

"—And it occurred to me that out of all of us, he's the one who has to deal with the most excess magic when he's sleeping. If we can find a way to do something with all of that excess, we might be able to get somewhere."

"You want me to help your experiment by sleeping?" Issei asks. "Damn, Hanamaki. You _are_ a genius."

Takahiro grins. "I knew you'd come around."

"So where do I come in?" Kaneo asks.

"I need someone to help me when I test things out," Takahiro replies. "If Matsukawa is okay with it, I was thinking of trying a sleeping spell on him, so he doesn't just wake up when he's filling up with magic and we actually have an excess to work with. Yuda's a better option than Iwaizumi, because Iwaizumi might end up holding back if he compares it to Oikawa getting overloaded."

"No I wouldn't," Hajime protests. "I can be objective about this sort of thing."

"Iwaizumi, that's the biggest pile of bullshit I've heard all week, and I had to listen to Matsukawa talk our way out of magic class yesterday," Takahiro says. "You're a great guy, but _being objective_ isn't one of your strengths. Especially not when it's about Oikawa."

Hajime opens his mouth, looking like he's about to protest, but then he glances at Tooru before looking away. "…Yeah. I guess not. Sorry."

Tooru beams, reaching over to nudge him. "It's because you adore me so much, Iwa-chan!"

Hajime shakes him off, snorting. "You wish, Oikawa. It's because you piss me off all the time!"

He doesn't mean it and they both know that, but at least Hajime doesn't look as guilty any more. That's all that matters to Tooru.

"So what are we meant to do, then?" Hajime asks, looking over at Takahiro. "Do we just sit on the sidelines and watch?"

"Too boring," Tooru dismisses, shaking his head before Takahiro can even reply. "Don't you worry, Iwa-chan, I'll come up with an idea for an experiment too! It's going to be even cooler than Makki's."

"It's not a competition," Hajime sighs. "And I'm already worried about what you'll come up with."

"No faith!" Tooru clutches a hand to his chest. "Betrayed by my own best friend!"

Hajime doesn't even bother replying, but Tooru can see the way the corner of his lips quirk upward. He's taken a step away from Tooru's desk, giving him a little more space. Takahiro's words must have gotten to him. Tooru smiles to himself, resting his chin in his hand. This isn't such a bad development. 

"We should probably head back to our homerooms," Issei mutters, looking at the time. "The bell's going to ring soon."

They all start walking away from Tooru's desk except for Hajime, who hangs back.

"I'm really not good at being objective about you, huh?" he asks, when the others have left.

"I _do_ annoy you a lot," Tooru admits with a smile.

Resting his hand on the corner of Tooru's desk, Hajime sighs. "You know that's not what it is."

"I know," Tooru replies softly. He looks at Hajime's hand, tempted to reach for it, to link their fingers together.

Before he can even move, Hajime sucks in a sharp breath. 

"Iwa-chan?"

"I have an idea," he tells Tooru, "of an experiment that _we_ can try."

"Oh?" Tooru smiles up at him. "This is going to be good."

"When we were chasing storms together," Hajime says, "I'd feel your magic flowing into mine, right? We could share our magic, and feel it combine. You already know how my magic feels. You told me that your body feels like it's shying away from the usual sources of your magic since you got overloaded, but maybe it isn't afraid of _my_ magic. Maybe I can find a way to share magic with you even when you don't have any and you can get used to how it feels again."

"Iwa-chan," Tooru breathes. "You're such a genius."

Hajime flushes, looking pleased with himself. "I'll have to shift into my dragon form to try it, though. Maybe after school, while the others are doing their experiment?"

"Yeah," Tooru nods eagerly. "That sounds great!"

The day can't pass quickly enough, now that Tooru has this to look forward to. He struggles to pay attention in class, barely resisting the urge to tap his foot with impatience. He's comforted, at least, by the fact that Hajime looks just as impatient when they see each other during their breaks. When they're finally let out of class, they meet at their shoe lockers, grinning at each other.

"What are you two smiling about?" Takahiro asks, walking over to join them.

"Iwa-chan had an idea for something that only we can try," Tooru replies, so excited that he can feel himself nearly trembling with it.

"You're… not going to chase a storm, no, it doesn't even look like it's _going_ to storm any time soon. What are you that excited about? Dragon stuff?"

"Yeah," Hajime replies, not taking his eyes off Tooru. "I just want to try something out and see if it works."

"Well, I hope it works out."

"Good luck with your experiment too, Makki," Tooru says, grabbing Hajime's bag strap and tugging. "We're going. Say good luck with Mattsun and Yudacchi too, okay?"

He barely waits for long enough to see Takahiro nod before they leave. They don't even stop by their houses to change, walking straight to their usual clearing in the forest instead. Hajime places his bag against one of the trees, stepping into the middle of the clearing. 

"It feels like forever since I've seen you as a dragon," Tooru murmurs. "Sorry I wasn't here to welcome you home this time."

"I'm just glad you're okay now." Hajime smiles at him. "You better be there next spring, okay?"

Tooru nods. "I promise."

Hajime shifts forms, his green scales shining in the afternoon sun. He's grown bigger again and now he almost takes up the entire clearing. Tooru only has to reach forward to place his hand on Hajime's snout, guiding him down so that they can rest their heads against each other. Hajime lets out a low rumble, and Tooru can feel it vibrating its way through him.

"Maybe I'm being too possessive," Hajime murmurs. "I've been thinking about it non-stop since Hanamaki mentioned it. Even if it's a dragon thing… I told myself once that I wouldn't let that get in my way, and I'd treat you normally. I have to stick to that. I'm going to try my best, okay Oikawa? You said that you don't want things to change between us just because of what happened to you. I'll do what I can to make sure that it doesn't."

Tooru holds him tighter, squeezing his eyes shut and thinking that perhaps Issei was right after all. Despite what he wants, it might not be that easy to keep things from changing. He's going to try anyway, because he doesn't know what else to do. 

"We're going to be fine, Iwa-chan," Tooru says, as confidently as he can. "We're going to get my magic back and everything's going to feel normal again."

"Yeah." Hajime nuzzles against Tooru briefly before he pulls back. "Let's get to work on that." 

They start off with Hajime casting the spell that he usually does when they're flying together. Tooru watches the way the spell shines across Hajime's scales before it settles into place, then takes a step closer. He's cautious as he reaches out, placing his hand against Hajime. 

He recognises the feel of Hajime's magic and doesn't shy away from it. He recognises the feel of Hajime's magic. 

He smiles to himself, feeling it wash over him like a gentle wave. Hajime was right, Tooru knows this magic, and there isn't a single part of him that fears it, not even subconsciously. He trusts Hajime and knows that he's safe.

"I have to play around with the spell a bit," Hajime tells him. "I originally made it to let your magic flow into me, not the other way around. That might be a bit more complicated. I don't want to overload you with my magic by accident. That's just going to make things even worse."

"You won't overload me," Tooru says, smiling up at him. "I know you won't. We can do this."

It takes them the entire afternoon to figure it out. Tooru knows a lot about magical theory; even if he can't alter the spell and try it himself, he's good at guiding Hajime through the process instead. 

"I knew you were good," Hajime mutters, "but damn, Oikawa. You're always surprising me, you know that?"

Tooru grins. "Can't have you getting bored of me, now. Let's try the spell again. Less focus on where the magic is going, more focus on just opening a channel for it to pass through. Add it to your usual protection spell for when we're flying. Difficult spells are always a bit easier when they piggyback on spells you're familiar with."

"Ready?" Hajime asks, taking a deep breath.

Tooru waits for him to cast the spell, noting that the shine across Hajime's scales looks different this time. Good, Tooru thinks to himself. That's a sign that the spell itself has changed. Hopefully into what they actually want it to be.

"Your turn," Hajime tells him, and it's Tooru's turn to inhale, reaching out to press his hand to Hajime's scales again.

It's the most wonderful feeling in the entire world. If Tooru's own magic feels like electricity, Hajime's magic feels like fire. It fills him with warmth, burning hot and steady in his veins. He laughs with delight, pulling his hand away and looking down at it.

"It worked!" Tooru can barely get the words out in his excitement. "Iwa-chan, it actually _worked_ , you're so amazing."

"Can you use it?" Hajime asks. "Try a really simple spell. Just to test it out."

The first thing Tooru thinks of is rain. The sky above them immediately darkens with clouds and Hajime rumbles softly, spreading a wing over Tooru as the rain begins to fall.

"I said _simple_ , didn't I?"

"It felt easy. Besides, you like the rain." Tooru smiles, clearing it away with just as little effort. "Using your magic feels just as good as using mine, Iwa-chan. I love it."

Shifting back into his human form, Hajime grins at him. "I'm going to practice this spell until I can cast it in this form too. Until I do, just keep my magic with you, okay? So you remember what it's like to have magic again. I'll keep sharing mine with you until you get yours back. We'll get there."

Stepping forward, Tooru wraps himself around Hajime in a tight hug. "Sometimes, I think that meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Dumbass," Hajime huffs out fondly, patting the back of his head. "You've done plenty of great things since then."

" _Iwa-chan_. That's not what I mean."

"I know, I know." His voice is pitched low, and it sends a shiver through Tooru.

Steeling himself, Tooru places his hands on Hajime's shoulders and pulls back, looking him in the eyes.

"O-Oikawa?"

"Hajime." Tooru's heart is racing, but he doesn't let himself back out. He can't now. "I don't care that we can't… act on it right now, but I need to tell you okay? Even if you probably already know it. I want to say it, at least once."

"Tooru…"

"I'm in love with you," Tooru declares, and the warmth that flows through him isn't all that different to the way Hajime's magic feels. "I love you so much, and I know that I said I didn't want anything to change, but—"

"Dumbass," Hajime interrupts, taking half a step into Tooru's space, resting a hand on his cheek. "Everything's already changed, hasn't it? Not just because of what happened to you. It was all changing before then too. I don't think that's a bad thing. I don't mind."

"You mean…"

"I'm saying that I'm in love with you. I love you. You already know that too, don't you?"

Tooru smiles, taking Hajime's face into both hands, resting their foreheads together. "It's still nice to hear it."

"So," Hajime murmurs. "Are you going to kiss me or what?"

Tooru laughs, feeling so light that he might just float away. "I'll make you a promise. Wait until the day I can share my magic with you again. I'll kiss you then."

With a quiet snort, Hajime bumps their foreheads together gently. "Deal. Don't leave me waiting too long."

Shutting his eyes, Tooru smiles and lets himself enjoy this moment. "I promise that I won't."

 

 

* * *

 

 

Tooru's magic doesn't return immediately, no matter how hard he hopes. It's not particularly surprising, but he can't help but feel a little disappointed anyway.

At least Hajime's magic is a welcome feeling. Tooru is careful not to give into the temptation to use it, at least not until they find a way to share magic more often. The feeling of being completely empty of magic isn't a pleasant one, and Tooru is determined to avoid feeling it ever again.

When Hajime meets Tooru at the front of his house the next morning, they can't stop smiling at each other. Tooru bumps their shoulders together, leaning into Hajime's side for a moment. Hajime's hand comes up to rest on his back, just as briefly, and Tooru can feel its warmth even after they pull apart.

"I'm still working on my spell," Hajime tells him as they walk to school. "I just have to get used to casting it when I'm in this shape… I keep making it big enough to fit around my dragon form, but there's nothing actually there for the spell to attach itself to, so it just ends up fizzling out."

Tooru laughs softly. "Dragon-sized spells, huh?"

"I guess it sounds silly, huh?" Hajime asks, rubbing the back of his neck. "I can do everything else just fine without forgetting which form I'm in, but some magic just comes easier to one form and not the other. There's probably stuff I can't do as a dragon either, I've just never tried it before so I don't know."

"You're pretty cool, Iwa-chan," Tooru murmurs with a fond smile.

Hajime grins, elbowing Tooru in the side. "Yeah, well, you're not so bad yourself."

Tooru laughs, probably a little too giddy, but Hajime doesn't seem to mind at all. Things definitely feel different with Hajime since yesterday, but that's not such a bad thing. For the first time since waking up in the hospital, Tooru doesn't feel like he has to make up for anything. He and Hajime will work together to find a way to get his magic back. He's looking forward to finding out if Takahiro, Issei, and Kaneo have made any progress on their experiment. 

Tooru doesn't even mind if Takahiro's idea doesn't end up helping him get his magic back any quicker. It's clearly something that Takahiro is passionate about researching. Tooru is glad to have indirectly given him a push to begin. 

"Oikawa!" Takahiro is already standing in front of Tooru's homeroom as they approach it. "You're looking more cheerful today. Did your experiment go well?"

Tooru beams. "It did. Iwa-chan is a _genius_ , did you know? Look at this."

Lifting his hand, Tooru conjures a sparkling green shape that takes the form of a miniature dragon. It takes off from his palm, flapping around their heads briefly before disappearing. 

"Oikawa," Hajime scolds lightly, but Tooru catches the slight quirk of his lips. "Don't waste it like that."

"I don't have my magic back just yet," Tooru explains to Takahiro, "but Iwa-chan can share his with me. We usually do something similar when we're chasing storms together, so we just had to change that a bit. This way, I can adjust to having magic again, so hopefully mine will come back sooner."

"Kind of like your idea," Hajime nods at Takahiro. "Except it doesn't involve actually storing it, and it only really works between the two of us."

Takahiro raises both eyebrows with a low whistle. "Sounds like an excuse to me."

Hajime laughs quietly, resting his elbow on Tooru's shoulder. "This is coming from the guy who came up with an entire experiment based on watching Matsukawa sleep?"

"H-Hey, first of all, shut up. Never say that again, especially when he can hear you, or I'm never going to live it down."

Tooru grins. "And what makes you think that _we_ will?"

Takahiro shakes his head. "You, I can deal with. He's on an entirely different level. And I just don't… want him to know yet."

"…I can relate to that," Tooru says, a little softer. He smiles at Takahiro. "I guess Iwa-chan and I will have to keep working together so you can keep working with Mattsun and Yudacchi, huh? What a shame."

"Oikawa…" Hajime says softly, sliding his hand down Tooru's back. 

"I'm going to find the others," Takahiro announces, walking away before Tooru can even stop him. 

"Tooru," Hajime whispers this time, and it sends a shiver down Tooru's spine. 

Leaning back into Hajime's touch, Tooru turns to him with a small smile. "It's true, though. I knew how I felt a long time before I could even handle the thought of you knowing."

"Yeah," Hajime says quietly, nodding. "I get what you mean. And even after that, it's not like things just fall into place, right? That sort of thing is really complicated."

"But it's worth figuring out," Tooru adds with a smile. "Even if it takes a while. Even if there are other things that need to be sorted out first."

"I'm going to figure this spell out today." Hajime sounds determined, folding his arms across his chest. "I hope it helps you get your magic back soon, and when you do…"

He trails off, letting the promise hang in the air between them. Tooru is impatient for it too, but he knows that he needs to wait. Things feel a little too off-balance at the moment, and Tooru doesn't quite feel like himself without his magic. He wants to start figuring things out with Hajime properly, but more than that, he desperately wants his magic to come back and for things to start feeling normal again.

Tooru's homeroom begins filling with his classmates, and he can see them looking over with curiosity. He hasn't really explained what happened to any of them, and Hajime seems to have scared everyone away from asking. Tooru doesn't mind. There are several rumours going around, and most of them sound much more entertaining than the simple truth of Tooru being too caught up in the storm to think about his own safety. He's in no hurry to set the record straight.

"Hajime! Tooru!" Kaneo pokes his head into the classroom, beaming at them both. "Has Takahiro told you about our experiment yet? It was so great!"

"Really?" Tooru brightens up. "Makki hasn't told us anything! I want to hear all about it."

"You were too busy talking to give Hanamaki a turn," Hajime points out with a small grin.

"So were you," Tooru shoots back, then turns to Kaneo with a smile. "Well? How did it go?"

"I don't know about storing it just yet," he tells them, walking over to Tooru's desk. "But I could definitely sense the excess magic as it was building up. It kind of filled the air for a bit and it didn't feel like Issei's magic but more like… energy. We were hoping it would have a more physical form so we could figure out how to collect it. I ended up absorbing it myself so the others wouldn't get overloaded, but we're going to try again, to see if it takes any different forms. We'll have to work out what it comes out as, so we can find a way to actually store it."

"That sounds amazing," Hajime whispers with awe. "I hope you find way to do it. After I'm done figuring this spell out with Oikawa, maybe we can help too. Even if he doesn't have his own magic by then, he can use mine."

"And when I get my magic back, I'll use that," Tooru adds. "This is going to be so helpful when we work it out. Let's all do it together!"

"If you start pushing yourself from the moment you get your magic back, I'm going to kick your ass, Oikawa," Hajime says, rolling up his sleeve. "I'll kick your ass right now just for thinking about it."

The school bell rings, and Tooru smiles. "It's going to have to wait, Iwa-chan. I'll see you during break."

"Yeah." For a moment, it looks like Hajime is going to stroke his fingers through Tooru's hair. Instead, he grins and ruffles it. "See you later."

Tooru lets out an indignant squawk, fixing his hair as Hajime and Kaneo walk out. Hajime looks over his shoulder when he's at the door, his expression softening into a fond smile. Tooru smiles right back, feeling his cheeks grow warm.

The smile doesn't leave his face all morning. Every idle thought he has during class takes him right back to thinking of Hajime and it makes his heart flutter a little every single time. He didn't expect that he would still feel like this after actually confessing his love to Hajime, but if anything, it's only gotten worse. Knowing that he feels this deeply for Hajime and knowing that Hajime feels the same is incredibly exhilarating. If things can work out this week for Tooru in this part of his life, he feels like he can do the same with every other part of his life too.

Tooru wishes that time would pass quicker, so he can work on spells with Hajime again. Their breaks at school aren't long enough, and it feels odd doing this without some kind of privacy. Instead, they spend their time sitting with their other friends, brainstorming over how to adjust Takahiro's experiment to make the magical energy actually take some kind of physical form. Tooru is stumped, not knowing what to suggest without actually seeing the experiment for himself. It only makes him even more impatient to get his magic back.

Hajime must notice because after school, he leads Tooru right to the forest again without wasting any time. 

"I've been thinking about this all day," Hajime tells him. "I think I have the spell figured out, but I didn't want to try it in front of anyone else. Can I…?"

Tooru nods, letting Hajime take his hand. They link their fingers together and Hajime squeezes gently before looking up at Tooru.

"I don't really know how to control it like this. Let go if it gets too much, okay?"

Tooru nods, breathless with anticipation. He gasps softly as he feels Hajime's magic flowing into him from where their hands are pressed together. It's similar to what he felt yesterday, but Hajime in his human form always feels different to when he's in his dragon form. There's a slight difference in the way they treat each other, and Tooru has always felt more like equals when Hajime is in human form too. Hajime might always be protective, but it's a little more pronounced in his dragon form. 

Besides, there's something special about having Hajime's hands on him. It helps that they have a good excuse for it.

"How's that?" Hajime asks, letting go of Tooru's hand.

"Good." Tooru feels a little breathless. "Really good, Iwa-chan."

"Not too much?"

Tooru shakes his head. "Perfect."

From there, they take it as an excuse to be constantly touching each other. Hajime doesn't leave Tooru's side, just like before, but that's not such a bad thing now. Tooru doesn't really leave Hajime's side if he can help it either, their hands brushing against each other casually, even when they don't need to share magic. Their friends don't comment past the raised eyebrows when they first notice, and it quickly becomes a habit. Even if they don't talk about the way they feel for each other, it doesn't really feel like they need words for it any more. Not with their fingers stroking idly against each other or the way they lean against each other whenever they're sitting side by side.

"I have an idea for storing magic," Tooru announces, a week after they start sharing magic like this. He still doesn't have his own magic back, but he can feel it just beyond his reach. He's confident that it will be back soon and it makes him feel a little restless, a little ambitious. "All this time, we've been worrying about pure magic like it's something we can find on its own, to store it in a box. What if we don't have to do that? What if we just direct the magic into something else that doesn't have magic of its own? Something that doesn't really have to just be a container."

"Like…?" Issei raises an eyebrow. "You wouldn't bring it up unless you had something in mind."

"I want to try something out," Tooru tells them, rubbing his chin. "I'll get back to you tomorrow. Sorry for the suspense."

"Oikawa," Hajime scolds gently, elbowing him in the side.

"I'm thinking about transferring the magic into something, like a book or a plant or some sort of trinket," Tooru explains, leaning against Hajime more comfortably. "I don't know if it's going to work. I'm not all that confident and it might not just store the magic without changing it, but…"

"Worth a shot," Takahiro decides. "Let's try it. We'll all pick something different to store the magic in and go from there?"

"Yeah!" Kaneo nods eagerly. "Great idea!"

"Are you going to use my magic?" Hajime asks later, as he and Tooru walk home, holding hands. "Do you need more?"

"Hajime." Tooru stops walking as they approach his street, turning so that they're facing each other. 

"…Oh." Hajime understands immediately, because he's good like that. His hands come up to hold the sides of Tooru's face as they lean into each other.

The first spell Tooru casts with his returned magic is one that he's never tried before, but he knows it inside out all the same. He lets his magic flow into Hajime, combining together into something different, but incredibly familiar. Their magic flows through every point of contact, from their lips, to their hands on each other's faces, to the way the toes of their shoes are resting against one another. 

Tooru isn't sure which sensation to focus on: the feeling of kissing Hajime or their magic combining and becoming something stronger. Both are wonderful on their own but even better together.

"Hey," Hajime murmurs as they finally pull apart. He's smiling like he couldn't possibly stop himself if he tried. "Welcome back."

Laughing softly, Tooru wraps his arms around Hajime and holds on tightly. "…It's so good to be back."


End file.
